Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Puppy mill - 79 dogs seized, a dozen horses

Puppy mill - 79 dogs seized, a dozen horses
Mount Pleasant, MI (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Aug 20, 2005
County: Isabella
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted

Abuser/Suspect: Pamela Sue Keehbauch

Case Updates: 7 update(s) available

Case ID: 5409

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment

Animal: dog (non pit-bull), horse, pig

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Police, United States Department of Agriculture agents and animal control officers took 72 dogs from an Isabella County woman's farm Aug 22. That brings the number of dogs and puppies taken from the woman's West Bluegrass Road home in the past two days to 79 in an ongoing animal abuse investigation.

The 52-year-old Deerfield Township woman has been issued 139 misdemeanor tickets since officers first descended on her home with a search warrant on Aug 20, taking seven ill dogs, Isabella County Undersheriff John Vinson said.

"They needed to be rescued immediately and provided the proper care," Vinson said.

The woman, whose name is not being released because of the ongoing investigation, received 64 tickets for failure to have collars and tags; 64 tickets for having no proof of rabies vaccinations; three for neglect-failure to provide medical care to a dog; and one for feeding animals putrid food, Vinson said.

Isabella County deputies, Isabella County Animal Control officers and USDA agents served a second search warrant on the woman's farm on Aug 22 in an effort to save the remaining dogs, Vinson said.

Isabella County Animal Control Director Patty Lenz said the dogs are being housed together in the old animal shelter until they can be checked by veterinarians from Jan Pol's animal clinic.

All of the remaining dogs were taken off the woman's property on Aug 22, Lenz said, but 13 dogs were unaccounted for since officers counted the animals on Aug 20.

When officers went to the woman's home on Aug 20, they found numerous dogs with no collars or tags and could not locate any records of vaccinations, Vinson said.

They also found outdated animal medications, Vinson said.

Conditions at the woman's farm were unsanitary, and officers found the bodies of three unburied horses and three goats that had died some time ago, Vinson said.

Officers also found the bodies of several dead dogs in trash receptacles, Vinson said.

The living dogs were either malnourished, dehydrated, abused or neglected, or had not been provided adequate care, Vinson said.

One dog had an eye infection; another had an open wound on its head, Vinson said.

One dog's skin was falling off, and a female dog with no food or water was nursing puppies when officers went to the home Monday, Vinson said.

Officers also found rancid food infested with maggots in one of the dog kennels, Vinson said.

One of the dogs that was taken to the shelter Saturday has since died, and another is critically ill, Lenz said.

While the dogs and puppies are being quarantined until they get veterinary care, some will go to foster homes that have already been lined up, Lenz said.

Once the sheriff's department, USDA and animal control wrap up their investigations, the information will be taken to Isabella County Prosecutor Larry Burdick's office for review.

Vinson said animal control workers have asked those willing to be foster parents to the confiscated dogs to wait until Wednesday to contact the center. Workers are asking for donations to help with the dogs, and have said some of them are due to give birth soon.

Case Updates

Children were the deciding factor in the sentencing of a 52-year-old Isabella County woman for animal cruelty on November 8, 2005. Citing the potential harm to the three children if their mother were removed from the home, visiting Judge Thomas A. Beale refused to send Pamela Sue Keehbauch to jail.
"If I didn't look at her situation, I would be giving her some pretty serious time,� Beale said in explaining his decision. "I am not going (to put her in jail) because I don't think that's appropriate. I'm not going to jeopardize children.�

In a plea agreement with prosecutors, Keehbauch pled no contest on November 16, 2005 to eight misdemeanors including six counts of animal cruelty, one count of failure to bury an animal and one count of failure to provide proof of rabies vaccination. Eight other misdemeanor animal cruelty charges were dropped as part of the deal. As part of his sentencing, Beale looked at a probation department pre-sentencing report along with statements from mental health officials who said placing Keehbauch in jail would harm her kids.

Instead, Beale sentenced Keehbauch to two years probation, $600 fine plus court costs and other fees, 200 hours community service and surrender of her United States Department of Agriculture kennel license. During her probation, Keehbauch is not allowed to own, possess or care for any animals. Beale gave Keehbauch the option of a 90-day suspended jail sentence, to be reinstated if she fails to meet the terms of her probation, or to serve 21 days in jail immediately. Keehbauch chose the suspended sentence after consulting with defense attorney Gordon Bloem. She also must continue treatment at Community Mental Health of Central Michigan, undergo career rehabilitation and pay restitution to the county for the care of the 79 dogs that were taken from her home. The total amount of restitution remains to be determined but is expected to run from $14,000 to as much as $38,000, Bloem said.

Isabella County Assistant Prosecutor Amanda Swanson urged Beale to send Keehbauch a message.
"I think the message should be clear and the only way to do that is through jail time,� Swanson said. Swanson mentioned an incident in 2000 with Keehbauch that mirrored this case, but where the charges were dismissed. "In 2000, we went through this exact same situation. So impress upon her that this is something she should not do again.� Bloem, who spoke for the silent Keehbauch, argued for no jail time. "It's important to understand what led to this situation for Miss Keehbauch,� Bloem said. "This was not intentional cruelty. She did neglect the animals because she was overwhelmed. But we have to balance that against the harm we would do by incarcerating Miss Keehbauch.

"The terms of her probation are very strict. The prosecutor, by the way he structured the agreement, made sure this will never happen again.� Following a statement from Isabella County Animal Control Director Patty Lentz, Beale asked prosecutors if there were anything more he could do to prevent Keehbauch from owning or caring for animals in the future. "This is a situation that needs continual monitoring,� Beale said. "If there were some way I could do something beyond two years, I'd be more than happy to.�
Although Swanson would have preferred jail time, both she and Lentz felt the judge's sentence was fair. "My biggest concern is that this doesn't happen again,� Lentz said, noting that Animal Control is not allowed to investigate unless a complaint is filed. "After her probation, she can have up to four dogs without a license and puppies are not included. During her probation, we will stop in and be keeping an eye on it.�

Keehbauch faced up to 93 days in jail for each animal cruelty count plus a $1,000 fine and 200 hours community service, and faced up to 90 days in jail and a $50-$500 and $100 fine respectively on the other two charges. The plea agreement stemmed from a joint investigation by Isabella County Animal Control, the Isabella County Sheriff's Department, state police and the USDA. Police searched Keehbauch's East Bluegrass Road home Aug. 20 and 22 of 2005, where a total of 79 dogs were seized because of neglect. She later agreed to give up ownership of the animals to allow them to be adopted through animal control.

Source: The Morning Sun - December 9, 2005
Update posted on Dec 9, 2005 - 8:38AM

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Folks hoping to adopt dogs seized from an Isabella County puppy mill in August were to line up outside the county's animal shelter this morning.

Shelter operators planned to enter the prospective puppy parents in a lottery drawing, broadcast reports indicated. Those who receive the animals must pay a $25 adoption and licensing fee plus a $60 charge for dogs that are not spayed or neutered. The charge is refundable once the animals have the procedure.

Source: The Saginaw News - November 29, 2005
Update posted on Nov 29, 2005 - 6:03PM

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Pamela Keehbauch pleaded no contest in Isabella County Circuit Court to six counts of abandoning/cruelty to animals, illegal burial of animals and having no proof of vaccination for a pet. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but it is treated the same for sentencing purposes.

Keehbauch faces up to 93 days in jail and $100 in fines. She faces sentencing Thursday, Dec. 8

Source: The Saginaw News - November 23, 2005
Update posted on Nov 23, 2005 - 10:12AM

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Pamela Keehbauch faces trial Monday, Nov. 21, on those charges and also faces a Thursday, Nov. 3, civil hearing at which authorities will argue that she should forfeit ownership of 78 dogs seized from her home Aug. 20 and 22.

Two dogs died shortly after the raids; most of the survivors are in temporary foster care.

If the court terminates Keehbauch's rights to the dogs, the Isabella County Animal Shelter will assume ownership and put them up for adoption.

Besides the live animals, police also found a deer carcass and another unidentified carcass on which maggots were feasting. Officers also found a dog carcass in the trash. v

Source: mlive - Oct 26, 2005
Update posted on Oct 27, 2005 - 7:58PM

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An Isabella County woman accused of operating a puppy mill is scheduled to be tried on criminal charges next month after a settlement was not reached Monday.

In addition to a Nov. 21 trial on animal cruelty and other charges, Pamela Keehbauch faces a civil hearing Nov. 3 to determine if she should lose ownership of the 78 dogs taken from her East Bluegrass Road farm in Deerfield Township in August, Isabella County Prosecutor Larry Burdick said.

The trial date was scheduled Monday after the settlement conference, Burdick said.

Keehbauch, 52, is charged with 13 counts of animal cruelty, a 93-day misdemeanor, according to court records.

She is also charged with an animal burial violation, having unvaccinated dogs and having unlicensed dogs; each of those charges carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail.

Burdick's civil complaint and the criminal charges stemmed from a raid on Keehbauch's kennel on Aug. 20 and 22.

Isabella County Animal Control officers, police and a United States Department of Agriculture agent followed up on a tip from an informant that Keehbauch had placed dead dog or puppy bodies in a trash receptacle, that she did not regularly attend to the animal's needs and that her dogs were malnourished and dehydrated.

Animal control officers took seven dogs from Keehbauch Aug. 20 and returned two days later, taking 72 more dogs and puppies, one of which died shortly after.

Most of the animals have been placed in temporary foster homes.

Burdick's civil complaint is asking that Isabella County Chief Judge Paul Chamberlain release the dogs and puppies to the Isabella County Animal Shelter so the animals can be adopted.

Animal control officials indicated to Burdick that the cost of housing, fostering and caring for the 78 dogs has become a financial burden.

Burdick's civil complaint alleges that Carrie Bongard, a USDA agricultural agent, received a tip from an informant about the conditions at Keehbauch's farm prior to police and animal control officers serving the Aug. 20 and 22 search warrants, according to court records.

Bongard also indicated that Keehbauch "has failed multiple licensing inspections since 1999,� according to court records.

Bongard had tried to conduct an inspection after Jan. 26, 2004 but Keehbauch allegedly did not cooperate, according to court records.

Keehbauch, who was issued 139 misdemeanor tickets after police and animal control took the dogs and puppies from her home, was apparently able to obtain a federal kennel license by defining her farm as a pet shop after Isabella County revoked her license in April 2000, according to previous reports.

Source: The Morning Dun - Oct 25, 2005
Update posted on Oct 25, 2005 - 1:08PM

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The suspect is to appear for arraignment in Isabella County Trial Court on or before Monday, Sept. 12.

Prosecutors authorized:

* Thirteen counts of abandonment and cruelty to animals, each punishable by up to 93 days in jail, $1,000 in fines and 200 hours of community service.

* One count related to burial of animals, with a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.

* One count of failing to have proof of rabies vaccination, with a potential punishment of up to 90 days in jail and a $100 fine.

* One count of failing to have dog collars and tags, again punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $100 fine.

Anyone who wishes to adopt a dog or contribute money may write to Isabella County Animal Control, 1105 S. Isabella, Mount Pleasant, MI 48848.

Source: mLive - Aug 31, 2005
Update posted on Aug 31, 2005 - 10:17AM

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Another dog is dead and nutrition-leeching parasites have painfully infested the bellies of more than 70 canines removed from a puppy mill this week, animal control officials here said today.

The second dead dog discovered so far, the 3-year-old Pomeranian died of dehydration, shock and stress from Monday's trip from a Deerfield Township residence to Isabella County Animal Control, officials said this morning.

A veterinarian has also told animal control officers that coccidia, a parasite that burrows into the stomach lining, has swept through the group of 74 dogs -- nearly all confiscated.

"If they eat anything, they don't get anything out of it" because the bugs hijack all nutrition, said Animal Control Director Patricia Lentz. "It rots the gut. It's very painful, and they'll die. So they all have to be treated for the next 10 days."

Conditions at the puppy mill operated by a 52-year-old woman were "deplorable," investigators have said. Charges against her are not likely before Tuesday, Lentz said.

Lentz's officers on Tuesday nursed a puppy back from the edge of death by squirting milk and water from a syringe into the Yorkshire terrier's mouth.

"I thought it was dead," Lentz said. "It was just limp. I couldn't believe it lived. We just kept rubbing it and rubbing it."

Police officers who saw the mill found rotting dog food heaped in bowls and teeming with maggots. One dog had an open wound on its head, another had an inflamed eye and another was missing an ear. Many were missing fur.

Lentz found a dead dog in an industrial-size trash container and dead horses elsewhere on the property.

The woman reportedly also kept about a dozen horses and a couple pot-bellied pigs, but authorities have not said if they would seize those animals.

Sheriff's deputies Saturday raided the puppy mill and issued the woman 139 citations on allegations of violating county ordinances plus state and federal laws.

Lentz said the fallout has not only sickened the dogs but forced the shelter into a budgeting spiral. Costs from caring for the puppy influx are reaching several hundred dollars a day. So far, donations from the public have amounted to $600, Lentz said.

Since Saturday, authorities have seized 79 dogs that were ill or kept in unsanitary conditions. Many of the animals now are housed at the county Animal Control Department. A mother and four puppies were moved to another location, Lentz said.

She has quarantined the dogs in the shelter's old facility, where they will remain until suitable for adoption.

Whether Animal Control officials will offer any of the dogs for adoption will depend on the animals' health and the outcome of proposed legal action against the woman, authorities have said.

Investigators learned of the suspected puppy mill when concerned citizens tipped off the Department of Agriculture because some of the dogs that were sold turned up sick and had worms.

Source: mlive - Aug 24, 2005
Update posted on Aug 29, 2005 - 4:53PM

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References

	WOODTV - Aug 21, 2005
	Morning Sun - Aug 21, 2005
	The Morning Sun - Aug 23, 2005
	ABC 12
	Midland Daily News - Aug 23, 2005
	The Saginaw News - Aug 23, 2005
	The Morning Sun - Aug 31, 2005
	WLNS - Sept 28, 2005

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Puppy mill - 79 dogs seized, a dozen horsesMount Pleasant, MI (US)

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Puppy mill - 79 dogs seized, a dozen horses
Mount Pleasant, MI (US)