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Case #15375 Rating: 2.3 out of 5
Puppy mill - 46 dogs seized from abandoned home
Newtown, PA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Mar 28, 2009
County: Bucks
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Alexander Pristatskiy
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Upper Makefield police and Bucks County SPCA workers removed 46 Yorkshire terriers, some just weeks old, early Saturday morning from a suspected illegal puppy mill operating inside an apparently abandoned home.
The dogs were living in unsanitary conditions and overcrowded cages in the basement of a ranch home on the 1400 block of Wrightstown Road near Maher Lane, authorities said.
No criminal charges had been filed in the case as of Saturday night, but officials said the investigation continues.
"Certainly there will be charges," said Anne Irwin, director of the Bucks County SPCA, which took custody of the dogs. "I think this is a breeding operation."
Police discovered the dogs after receiving a complaint of loud barking around 12:30 a.m. Saturday. The caller told police there were a large number of dogs in the basement of a possibly abandoned home, and that some dogs may be dead, according to the probable cause affidavit that led to the search warrant.
Patrolman Harry Vitello checked the property shortly before 1:30 a.m. and saw a light in the basement. He looked in the windows and saw cages with barking dogs. He also smelled a strong ammonia odor. The officer found an open back door. He entered and found the upstairs empty - no furniture, "broom clean," with no signs of occupancy - but the ammonia smell grew stronger as he neared the basement, according to Irwin and the affidavit.
In the basement, Vitello found a room with 22 animal cages filled with dogs, all alive, but living in squalid conditions. The smallest cage was not much larger than a newspaper page and it housed two adult females and their litters, Irwin said.
Many of the adult dogs had microchips implanted - which are used to identify pets - and it appears the chips were bought in batches, Irwin said.
Nine of the adult females wore plastic collars similar to the ones found in veterinary centers with the names: "Clementine," "Melani," "K.C.," "Kelly," "Felice," "Leanne," "Nelly," "Bridget" and "Elly," according to the probable cause affidavit.
A total of nine puppies, 31 adult females and six adult males were removed. They are at the SPCA's Lahaska shelter where they will be available for adoption.
Police found evidence that someone was providing food and water to the dogs, though there was no running water in the home. Water bottles were attached to cages, Irwin said.
The dogs appear healthy, though a veterinarian has yet to examine them, Irwin said. They acted bright and alert at the shelter on Saturday. Many of the adult female dogs had their normally long coats shaved; a few had lesions where they scratched themselves, most likely from being in confined conditions, Irwin said.
Yorkshire terriers, affectionately known as "Yorkies," are among the most popular breeds according the American Kennel Club's registration statistics. The dogs also frequently carry a hefty price tag - $500 or more each, according to a search of pet Web sites.
Pennsylvania law requires a state license for people who keep or transfer 26 or more dogs annually, Irwin said. She added the law was recently changed to require breeders who sell 60 or more dogs annually to be categorized as a commercial kennel, which has "much higher" quality standards.
Police are continuing their investigation.
Case UpdatesThe Churchville resident was fined $200 plus court costs totaling about $313 for running an unlicensed kennel.
A Churchville man pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty and running an unlicensed kennel Tuesday, three days after police removed his 46 Yorkshire terriers from the basement of an abandoned Upper Makefield home.
Alexander Pristatskiy of the 70 block of High Point Drive was fined $200, plus court costs totaling about $313, according to the citations filed in district court. He can keep one adult dog as a pet.
Pristatskiy, who Bucks County SPCA officials say was selling the dogs, relinquished ownership of the other 45 dogs - including nine puppies - to the Solebury animal shelter. The SPCA has received more than 300 adoption offers since Sunday, shelter director Anne Irwin said.
The Saturday raid uncovered the largest county puppy mill operation in nearly two decades, Irwin said. "The thing that concerns me is that there are probably more of these than we know about," she added.
The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching Pristatskiy for comment Tuesday.
Irwin said the SPCA had contact with Pristatskiy last year, when the agency visited his Churchville home after receiving a complaint. Fewer than 20 dogs were found. No violations were filed, but he was warned the dogs needed to be licensed and he'd need a state kennel license if he kept or transferred more than 26 dogs last year, she added.
Upper Makefield police discovered 46 dogs living in what police described as unsanitary and overcrowded conditions after investigating a complaint of loud barking dogs at an unoccupied home in the 1400 block of Wrightstown Road, near Maher Lane.
The dogs were housed in 22 cages and their condition was described as "filthy with matted fur" and caged with little room to move, according to the animal cruelty citation filed Tuesday. Pristatskiy isn't listed as the property's owner, according to county records. It's unclear if he knows or is related to the owner.
Irwin said the dogs appear healthy, but two veterinarians were examining them at the shelter Tuesday. Police found evidence that someone was providing food and water to the dogs, though there was no running water in the home.
Many adult dogs had implanted microchips, which are used to identify lost or stolen pets. Nine of the 31 adult female dogs wore plastic name collars similar to the ones found in veterinary centers.
An investigation by the SPCA found that Pristatskiy had advertised Yorkshire terriers for sale, mostly in South Jersey newspapers, Irwin said. The dogs were listed in ads as American Kennel Club registered, though local officials found no paperwork confirming it, she added.
On Monday, the AKC started the process to suspend Pristatskiy, meaning he should not breed, sell or transfer any dogs with the expectation that the club will register the dogs, club spokeswoman Lisa Peterson said. Pristatskiy registered his first and only litter with AKC in June, meaning newer puppies would not be registered, she said.
"If an individual is convicted of inhumane or cruel treatment of dogs, AKC would deem this prejudicial to the sport of purebred dogs and to the best interests of the American Kennel Club," Peterson added. "Proof of that conviction shall be grounds for the immediate suspension of all American Kennel Club privileges for a length of time to be determined by the board of directors."
Those privileges include entering AKC events and registering dogs and litters with the club.
As part of the plea agreement, Pristatskiy was allowed to keep one male dog as a "pet," but Irwin said local animal welfare officials would monitor the situation to ensure he's following state dog law.
Yorkshire terriers, affectionately known as Yorkies, are the second most popular dog breed, according to the AKC's registration statistics. The dogs frequently carry a hefty price tag - $500 or more each, according to a search of pet Web sites.
The SPCA charges $100 for dog adoptions, a price that includes neutering, vaccinations and microchip implantation, Irwin said.
The shelter has approved applicants on a waiting list for Yorkshire terriers, according to Irwin. Those applicants will be contacted first to see if they're still interested in a dog before the shelter reviews the hundreds of applications it has received since Sunday.
None of the dogs likely will be adopted immediately, she said. The nine puppies are younger than 7 weeks old, the minimum age to be adopted.
"We're very happy for this outcome," Irwin added. "It means we can make permanent arrangements for the dogs and that is what's important." | Source: PhillyBurbs.Com - April 1, 2009
Update posted on Apr 1, 2009 - 8:39AM |
The owner of a suspected puppy mill in Bucks County, Pa. has pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge -- and that's good news for the nearly four dozen dogs that were rescued from the Upper Makefield house over the weekend.
Forty-six Yorkshire terriers were taken out of the house in the 1400 block of Wrightstown Road (right) early Saturday morning, after a neighbor called police about loud barking.
The dogs were taken to the Bucks County SPCA, where they were being checked out by veterinarians. Executive director Anne Irwin says the guilty plea is good news because the owner turned the dogs over to the shelter:
"It means we can concentrate on doing what the dogs need, which is get them ready to go into new homes, and we don't have to worry about holding them for months wondering whether we'll get to keep them at the end of a court case."
Some of the dogs could be ready for adoption in a week.
The owner pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty and one count of having an unlicensed kennel. Each count carried a $100 fine.
Irwin says the dogs were living in overcrowded cages and unsanitary conditions. | Source: KYW - March 31, 2009
Update posted on Mar 31, 2009 - 11:17PM |
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