13 dogs seized from veterinarian during eviction
Jacksonville, FL (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Aug 4, 2011
County: Duval
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Lawrence L. Wallace, DVM
A 62-year-old Jacksonville veterinarian has been cited by the city with animal cruelty and other issues after 13 English bulldogs were removed from his care last week during an eviction from a building at 10733 Losco Junction Drive.
The animals were confiscated Aug. 4 by the city's Animal Care and Protective Services from Lawrence L. Wallace, whose First Coast Veterinary Services business is listed at that address on the Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine website.
The adult bulldogs, ages 2 to 8, were in poor shape when recovered, some covered in fecal matter, according to city officials. They are now being cared for at the Animal Care facility at 2020 Forest St. and have improved, operations manager John Paige said.
"They are in good condition and a lot of them are being treated for various things," Paige said. "We are going to continue to take care of them and watch over them. We may send some of them to a breed bulldog rescue group, and some will go up for adoption."
Wallace could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
He was cited Monday with cruelty to animals because six of the bulldogs were in a stuffy garage without water and a temperature higher than 107 degrees, Paige said.
Those living conditions, according to the city, led to serious health issues. "We have issues with eyes, something called cherry eye, we have skin issues, we have yeast issues," he said.
Wallace also was cited with animal neglect since the other seven dogs were in a bedroom with no water and temperatures higher than 95 degrees. Other citations included having more than five unsterilized animals without a permit; failure to have or display a current city licence; failure to vaccinate or provide proof of vaccination; and failure to provide veterinary care.
The veterinarian had since come to Animal Care to meet with staff, Paige said, but "we told him we have custody of the animals."
Animal Care was brought into the situation during the eviction after the rental property owner "assumed rightful possession" of all the property from Wallace, city spokesman Ben Pennymon said. That included the animals, which were signed over to the city.
Wallace is listed as having an active veterinarian's license on the Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine website, good through May. The entry lists his business address in a private home on Losco Junction Drive.
Wallace declined comment, but Dr. Karen Johnson, vice president and client advocate for Banfield Pet Hospital, provided this written statement via e-mail:
"Dr. Wallace has been practicing veterinary medicine in the Jacksonville community for 37 years and has an excellent reputation. Dr. Wallace loves his pets deeply and anyone who knows him personally, or is a client of his, knows that his passion for pets is unquestioned. This is a very unfortunate combination of circumstances which created a misunderstanding by some of those involved. While Dr. Wallace has only been with Banfield for seven months, we are devastated that Dr. Wallace is going through this situation and hope for a positive outcome for both he and his pets."
Wallace's neighbors, near the house from which he was just evicted from Losco Junction Drive, said they have had problems with his animals in the past.
About six months ago, "they were running out here loose, one of them was trying to eat my door off, trying to get in my house. That's when I called the police," said Wayne Adams.
Adams said since then, he believes the dogs have been locked in the garage.
Wallace's professional record has no violations. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said it is not going to pursue criminal charges.
Once the dogs are nursed back to care, they will most likely be sent to an English Bulldog rescue facility, where they can find suitable homes. References« Back to Search Results
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