Case Details


Case Snapshot
Case ID: 11819
Classification: Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: dog (non pit-bull)
More cases in York County, ME
More cases in ME
Login to Watch this Case

New features are coming soon. Login with Facebook to get an early start and help us test them out!



For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.



Puppy Mill - appeal pending
Buxton, ME (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Dec 31, 2006
County: York

Disposition: State Citation

Persons of Interest:
» Heidi A. Frasca
» John C. Frasca

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Norma Worley, director of Maine's Animal Welfare Division of the Main Department of Agriculture testified at an appeal hearing on July 18, during which a Buxton dog breeder tried to overturn Worley's denial of the breeder's state license. The matter against breeder Heidi Frasca was postponed until September. Since Frasca's appeal was filed in a timely manner, her license will remain in effect in the meantime.

Years of investigation are now on the shelf, but Worley said this case is typical of how seriously her department takes puppy mill and dog kennel complaints.

Worley said accusations made at a previous public hearing by dog rescue groups that her department is not sensitive to disreputable dog breeders and puppy mills are blatantly false.

"We get 1,000 animal complaints a year," she said. "At least a quarter of them are regarding kennels and puppy mills." She said the complaints range from contractual issues - new owners not satisfied with the health and condition of their puppy - to blatant abuse and neglect.

"This is my frustration," Worley said, of the appeal hearing held this week and the six years of complaints that led up to it.

Beginning in 2001, complaints about Frasca's J'Aime Kennels began coming into the Animal Welfare Division and the consumer protection division of the Maine Attorney General's Office. Frequent inspections were made, education was provided, deadlines were given and orders initiated.

Still the complaints reportedly continued until the state believed it was necessary to deny Frasca's renewal of a kennel license in January 2007. Animal Welfare has documented at least 80 violations of animal welfare rules in the past three years, and the Frasca kennel is frequently mentioned on Internet dog sites, where unhappy dog owners warn against buying animals from Frasca.

Frasca sells a wide range of dogs, including French bulldogs, German shepherds, Brussels Griffons, mini Australian shepherds, American bulldogs, Papillons and poodles, through at least seven Internet addresses.

The evidence presented at the hearing in support of the department's refusal to license the Frasca kennel filled five office binders with information and complaints, each 3 to 5 inches thick.

The violations documented by the state agency against the Frascas are varied and range from not selling healthy animals to failing to pay state fees to not maintaining clean and safe facilities.

Also documented are horror stories of dogs having their legs chewed off by other dogs and of a female dog so stressed by giving birth in a cage with other dogs that she killed one of her own pups.

Many of the violations were reportedly observed by state inspectors.


Case Updates

A couple from Buxton was in court Wednesday to answer charges of animal cruelty and failure to appear for a summons.

Heidi and John Frasca are each accused of 25 counts of animal cruelty. In August 2008, 250 dogs were seized from a kennel at the Frasca's home in Buxton. Animal welfare officials say the dogs were crowded into cages and some of them were diseased.

When the Frascas did not show up in court to answer those charges they were tracked down in a suburb of Boston.

On Wednesday, they both pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty.

The Frascas will have a chance to defend themselves when their trial begins next month.
Source: WCSH6.com - Aug 12, 2009
Update posted on Aug 13, 2009 - 1:36PM 

References

  • « ME State Animal Cruelty Map
    « More cases in York County, ME

    Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

    For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.



    Send this page to a friend
© Copyright 2001-2012 Pet-Abuse.Com. All rights reserved. Site Map ¤ Disclaimer ¤ Privacy Policy