Animal Abuse: Puppy mill - 80 dogs rescued - Andersonville, GA

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Case ID: 16604

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Puppy mill - 80 dogs rescued
Andersonville, GA (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Oct 13, 2010
County: Sumter

Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 6 files available

Alleged: Marjorie C Davis

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

More than 80 dogs were seized from a pet shop owner's rural Sumter County property Wednesday.

Investigators say the dogs were living in filth and unsanitary conditions. They believe the animals, which ranged in age from five weeks to several years, were being bred to sell in the Jungle Pet Store in Americus.

Cruelty to animals charges have been filed against pet shop owner Margie Davis, and she is being held in jail under a $3,500 bond.

Margie Davis, the shop owner is a former Americus Police officer and has surrendered her breeders license to the state. She apparently knew law enforcement were coming Wednesday and tried to clean up many of the dogs, but officials say the conditions were still bad enough that they seized the dogs for their own safety.

You could hear the dogs barking from Highway 195. Shortly after noon, the first load of dogs was brought out. Animal control officers stopped briefly to show us the dogs they seized.

"They notice a lot of neglect of these animals and the fear of these animals dying they asked that we assist them in executing a search warrant up here on this property," said Sumter County Sheriff Pete Smith.

We weren't allowed on Margie Davis' property, which is between Americus and Andersonville on Highway 195 . The Department of Agriculture initiated the investigation and the Sheriff's Office spotted the kennels while in the air looking for marijuana fields.

"I think she just ended up with more dogs than she could actually look after. She said it takes her about an hour to feed these animals," said Smith.

Pictures show the conditions of Davis' kennels. Feces is piled up in cages, water bowls were filled with a dark slime, and dogs have matted fur.

"Feces everywhere you had a lot of feces in the hair and coating on the animals," said Smith.

All of the dogs were brought here to the Sumter Humane Society, their fate is still unknown and it will be a lot of work for the Humane Society workers to care for these dogs.

"We need canned food we need flea shampoo we need money to treat the medical issues these dogs have," said Melissa Andrews Sumter County Humane Society Board of Directors President.

All the dogs will be evaluated by a local Veterinarian. Humane officials hope to find all the animals homes if they end up in their custody.

"This is a situation you don't want to happen, but we are so grateful these dogs have clean water and have clean food and warm beds and we're going to give them all the care that they need," said Andrews.

They hope to have enough resources to care for all of the dogs, but plan to call on neighboring shelters if needed.

Davis' business partner told us she acquired a lot of the dogs after her friend Barbara died in a fire and there was no one else to care for the dogs.

The District Attorney is reviewing the case to determine what charges may be filed against Margie Davis. The Sheriff's Office says Davis cooperated during today's search and seizure.

If you want to help out the Sumter Humane Society, they're in need of soft food, flea shampoo, and monetary donations to cover the Vet bills. They have a PayPal account set up on their web site for donations. You can find their web site at www.sumterhumanesociety.org.

Case Updates

Nearly a month after more than 80 dogs were seized from a Sumter County pet owner's rural property, she's formally released custody of the animals so they can get new homes.

The Sumter Humane Society got word late Friday afternoon that they can begin adopting out 80 of the 83 dogs in their custody.

Investigators said the dogs were living in filth and unsanitary conditions. They charged Jungle Pet Store owner Marjorie Davis was charged with animal cruelty.

The Humane Society cleaned the dogs up and had them check by a Veterinarian and now hopes to find good homes for all of the dogs.

Source: walb.com - Nov 12, 2010
Update posted on Nov 12, 2010 - 5:26PM

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While Marjorie C. Davis is out on bond, following her arrest on Oct. 13 on charges of cruelty to animals, she will be allowed to visit the Sumter Humane Society animal shelter where the 80-plus dogs recovered are living.

Sumter County Sheriff Pete Smith confirmed Friday that Davis would be allowed to visit the animal shelter with her attorney. A voice mail message left at the Sumter Humane Society on Friday was not returned.

On Oct. 13, a search warrant was executed at the location known as "Thornhill Kennel" at 3228 Ga. Highway 195, near Andersonville. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Animal Protection with the Georgia Department of Agriculture with the assistance of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.

At that time, 81 dogs were recovered from the alleged puppy mill and transported to the Sumter Humane Society. Smith said the conditions at the scene were "pretty bad." Several of the dogs, which were mostly smaller breeds, appeared to be pregnant while others were obviously suffering from severe cases of mange.

On Friday, the sheriff said one of the pregnant dogs had given birth to six puppies, raising the total to 87.

"All the dogs are doing really, really, good," Smith said. "They are being well cared for, bathed, shampooed and diaper wiped." He added that inmate labor has also been used to help care for the dogs.

Smith said there has been an outpouring of concern from animal lovers after the dogs were rescued. Many people have made contributions to the humane society, but more are needed. Anderson-Bailey Realty has launched a drive to collect food, supplies and money for the cause.

As for the case against Marjorie Davis, the sheriff said the District Attorney's Office will have to determine how many counts to charge against Davis.

He also said the state will not need 87 dogs for court.

"There is such a large quantity of dogs," he said. "We've got to get rid of a minimum of 61."

When asked if the dogs would be adopted out or otherwise, he answered yes. He said the humane society is holding the dogs for the county and making sure they are nurtured and cared for. He said the state doesn't want to impose financially on the humane society.

"We will get a court order and get some of them adopted," he said.

Source: Americus Times-Recorder - Oct 23, 2010
Update posted on Oct 24, 2010 - 2:22PM

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References

- Oct 13, 2010
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Puppy mill - 80 dogs rescuedAndersonville, GA (US)

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Puppy mill - 80 dogs rescued
Andersonville, GA (US)