Case Details

Over 200 dogs confined in puppy mill neglect New Cambria, MO (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, Jun 6, 2000 County: Macon Disposition: USDA Citation Case Images: 2 files available Persons of Interest: » Richard Poor » Sherry S Poor

Case ID: 8563 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in MO (US) Login to Watch this Case

Two undercover investigators recently visited a kennel that houses approximately 200 dogs, and owned by Richard and Sherry Poor for the purpose of breeding. The breeds include yellow Labs, black Labs, Golden Retriever, Boxers, Weimaraners, Basset Hounds, Miniature Pinschers, Dachshund (long and short hair) Bichon Frises, Beagles, Papillons, Fox Terriers (smooth and wire coats), Fox Terriers, Pomeranians, Shih Tzus, Lhasa Apsos (shaved) and Jack Russell Terriers.

Mr. Poor had just hosed down the runs without removing the dogs. The dogs had splattered CAPS investigators with feces and urine the previous day. Due to ice, cold, urine and feces, the dogs had red, swollen feet. Some of the fencing had sharp points and rough edges. There were no wind/rain breaks. The investigators pulled up to the house and knocked on the door. Sherry Poor answered and said that she had a sick child. Her husband was not at home. She wasn't sure what he had for sale and said that the four female Golden Retrievers that they just put down. She thought that he had three yellow Labs for sale that were about 5 months old. She asked the investigators to wait outside while she changed clothes. While waiting, the investigators state they saw a black and white cat that had puss in its eyes. It was coughing and sneezing with yellow discharge. When the cat tried to go inside, Mrs. Poor kicked it back and said, "No, you stay outside." Immediate shelter for the cat was not noticed. Mrs. Poor then returned with appropriate clothing and stated that her husband would probably yell at for taking anyone out back. "Out Back" was the dog area. There was a cattle gate separating the kennel and residential areas with a private property sign.

The first enclosure was hutch-style housing with approximately 18 dogs. The breeds were Min Pins and Dachshunds (long and shorthaired). There was one Dachshund, white with black spots, whose pads were visibly sore and irritated even though it was standing on coated wire. The gauge of wire separated the dog's toes. No visible bedding and more than 24 hour's worth of fecal buildup in the tray underneath the cage. The dogs were smashing the feces on the wire floor with their feet. Eventually, the feces went through the small openings in the wire to the tray underneath the cage.

Mr. Poor returned and took the investigators back to the larger dog kennels. The investigators state there they saw two Boxers, two black Labs, one six-year-old male Golden Retriever, three seven-month-old Labs, Six Weimaraners, three adult yellow Labs, and two extremely shy Basset Hounds. The concrete grounds of all of these runs were covered in ice. Observed was a build-up of fecal material and urine. There were no wind or rain breaks on the runs. All of the dogs, with the exception of the Basset Hounds, had doors to their shelters. The Bassets had no wind/rain breaks at the entrance to their house.

The dogs splattered the investigator's clothes, shoes and hair with fecal matter and urine apparently due to an improper drainage and waste disposal system. Mr. Poor explained that he cleaned the runs with a hose and that the dogs went inside their shelters if they didn't like the water. He does not remove any dogs from the runs. When he's cleaning, the waste matter can splatter onto other dogs or run off into other kennels. These shelters were not impervious to moisture. The Weimaraners,' yellow Labs' and Boxers' feet were swollen and pink or red in color, noticeably irritated from the horrible conditions in the runs.

Mr. Poor told the investigators about putting four female Golden Retrievers down due to non-production of puppies. He added that he used to shoot the dogs with a 22-gauge gun, but now has to pay $12 to the vet. e complained that "it was a money scam." The investigators talked with him more about the male six-year-old retriever who now had no breeding partners. "You can't keep a dog around and feed it just because you like it," he said. The condition of the retriever included severe diarrhea, and his tail was chewed up. He said that the black Labs chewed the Golden Retriever's tail through the fence and actually made the tail bleed on more than one occasion. The Golden Retriever's face appeared scarred and discolored. There was hair missing from his muzzle. The dogs greeted the investigators by jumping and banging on their doors to their chain link runs. When Mr. Poor called the dogs, they walked away from him. They seemed hungry and thirsty. The dogs were scratching and chewing on their food and water dishes. The water buckets were chewed, and the investigators noticed the yellow Labs playing with one of these buckets. All water dishes were empty. Mr. Poor said that the seven-month-old labs were for sale. They were in the pen to the left of the Golden Retriever. Two of the seven-month-old labs were picking on the small female. All of them were also busy chewing on a partition between their run and the run containing the Golden Retriever. This chewing seemed to indicate a behavioral problem. There was minimal evidence of bedding. The Boxers and black Labs could get their heads and part of their shoulders through the chain link kennel doors.

There were six Weimaraners. One appeared lethargic, and didn't want be with kennel mates and stood apart from them. Upon closer inspection, the investigators state that they noticed that he had a swollen bloodshot eye with yellow discharge. They asked about his condition. Mr. Poor said he had a cold in his eye and that they shouldn't worry about it. He added that he was administering a daily antibiotic shot.

The fencing of the three adult yellow Labs had sharp points and rough edges. On the other side of the Labs were two Basset Hounds. They had no water. One of the Bassets wouldn't even come out of its doghouse. Mr. Poor told the investigators that the empty kennels directly across the kennels in use once housed Huskies, Akitas and other Golden Retrievers. He mentioned he had a large male Akita that could climb the fence and repeatedly went over and attacked other dogs. He did not tell mention to the investigators when he had removed these dogs.

Near the kennels were two elevated hutch-style cages with two Boxers each. In the first pen, the water bowl was overturned with a large amount of dog feces on top. The Boxers could not move around without stepping on the feces due to overcrowding. In addition, they could not walk or turn-around comfortably. There did not appear to be six inches of headroom. There was more than 48 hours of fecal matter built-up under the cage. The investigators state that they did not notice any bedding. It was approximately 20 degrees outside, and windy. Mr. Poor said that he had purchased blankets for the dogs at WalMart. But the USDA inspector had told him three weeks earlier to put straw in the cage for bedding instead of blankets. The male Boxer in this cage was missing part of his left lip. It appeared that the lip had been either chewed off or torn and had healed. The investigators asked Mr. Poor about this dog's mouth, but he said it was just one of those things.

In the second pen, another pair of Boxers had the same living conditions. Their water bowl was upright, but empty. They continuously scratched at the empty bowl. The male Boxer had a skin condition that looked like mange. Mr. Poor told the investigators that that it appeared after he placed straw in the cage. However, the 1/24/01 USDA inspection report stated that this dog had this skin condition before Mr. Poor had placed straw in the cage. Mr. Poor explained that all Boxers were allergic to straw, and he wished that the USDA inspectors knew this about Boxers. All the Boxers appeared to be in bad health. The investigators said that they could see their rib cages and count their backbone vertebrae. Also, they appeared to be dehydrated.

On our way back to the house, the investigators observed a small male Lllasa Apso in a two-story hutch enclosure. Mr. Poor had recently shaved this dog. He said this was due to matted hair. The 1/24/01 USDA inspection report noted that a small white dog had skin irritation and/or skin loss. It was too cold for this dog to be in outdoor housing. No bedding was visible.

Mr. Poor asked one of the investigators if she knew Bonnie and Herman Schindler, breeder/brokers from Mexico Missouri. They bred the six-year-old Golden Retriever previously mentioned. Mr. Poor encouraged the investigators to begin breeding and explained that it is a $400 million dollar a year business. He added that there are 10,000 to12,000 licensed breeders in Missouri alone and that doesn't include the unlicensed breeders that should be shut down. He told the investigators that it was a $2000 fine for having tethered dogs. Mr. Poor also told them that he uses microchip ID and registers his dogs with the American Pet Registry (APR) instead of the AKC.

The investigators thought that Mr. Poor was going to give and/or sell them the three young Labs and the Golden Retriever. Mr. Poor said he could get $125 for the male seven-month-old Labs. The investigators convinced him to give them the small female Lab to keep the Golden Retriever company. He said he was probably going to sell the males that weekend.

Mr. Poor brought "Sam" out on a leash. It was obvious that the dog had never been on a lead before. Mr. Poor and one of the investigators completed the paperwork to transfer the dogs. He gave the investigator his AKC and APR registration, as well as the USDA papers. He then scanned the dog's neck for his microchip number and wrote it on the USDA form. The investigators then asked for the shot records, and he told her they were up-to-date and that was good enough. He told them that he used Seven Dust in the dogs' shelters to prevent fleas, ticks, lice and other insects and suggested that the investigator do the same.

Mr. Poor returned to the large dog kennels. When he entered the run with the young Labs, the dogs ran from him. He grabbed at the small female Lab several times before he was able to get her. He had to carry her all the way to the vehicle because she was afraid to walk. She had a very wild and scared look on her face like she had never been handled before. Mr. Poor gave the investigator a broken crate that had to be tied together with cords. He shoved her in and slammed the door. Once in the crate, her eyes were still wild. She was unresponsive to the investigator's voices and appeared to be in a state of shock. While they were loading the dogs, the other investigator observed the female Lab's kennel mates furiously and frantically chewing their fence. She also saw a fight between two black Labs. The Boxers and the black Labs got their head and necks out of the fencing and were almost loose. The weather was cold with sleet, heavy winds, and snow. The investigators said they were as wet as the dogs and even though it was cold, the stench was still very strong.

Mr. Poor did not allow the investigators in the whelping trailer or other housing. They were also not able to roam freely and therefore didn't have the opportunity to look into other enclosures. After loading the dogs, they went back to the house. One of the investigators saw vials of serum and vaccinations stored improperly on the back porch. The investigators were allowed in their home to purchase a cookbook in support of the Professional Pet Association (PPA). Mr. Poor invited them to the big quarterly meeting/hog roast for the PPA board meeting. He invited them back any time and said he would be more than happy to help them should they decide to start breeding. The two investigators thanked him and left with the dogs.

They then met a woman with Golden Retriever Rescue. She took the two dogs into foster care. The Golden Retriever has been receiving treatment for the severe allergies that were causing the skin and hair problems on his muzzle. Golden Retriever Rescue has been working with the dogs to socialize them for placement with a permanent home.

Jim Gauthier, ACI, found ten Category III violations on 1/24/01. Just one month later, an investigation revealed a number of additional violations that were not cited by Gauthier. Some of these non-compliances were listed in previous inspection reports and supposedly corrected. Gauthier stated that Mr. Poor had to correct skin irritation and hair loss problems for several dogs by 1/26/01. One of the Boxers still had a severe skin problem on 2/28/01. Mr. Poor had not sought treatment for this dog and claimed that the skin condition was the result of an allergic reaction to straw. Moreover, it is hard to believe that Gauthier did not see the red, swollen feet of some of the dogs in the runs. Lack of veterinary care - the eye infection of one of the Weimeraners needed immediate treatment - is a very serious problem at this facility.

Gauthier also instructed Mr. Poor to provide bedding for every outdoor dog on 1/24/01, the day of the inspection. The temperature was 33 degrees. There was still no bedding on the day of the CAPS investigation and the temperature was approximately 20 degrees. It was bitterly cold and very windy.

Mr. Poor has had an ongoing problem with waste removal. He has been cited several times under 3.11(a) for failure to remove fecal build-up. Gauthier's 1/24/01 report stated that the areas under the hutch enclosures, the concrete surfaces of the runs and the walkway in the trailer needed be cleaned by 1/27/01. The investigators state that they saw fecal build-up in all of the outdoor enclosures on 2/28/01.

Mr. Poor has not been providing adequate shade to his dogs as required by 3.4(b)(2). He had non-compliances on 6/15/98, 7/29/99 and in 6/6/2000. Although Gauthier claimed in his 1/24/01 report that Mr. Poor had corrected this problem, the investigators did not see any protection from the elements.

Mr. Poor was in violation on 2/11/99, 7/29/99, 9/8/99 and 6/6/00. The 9/8/99 report stated that Mr. Poor had just received doors and would install them by 9/18/99. Yet, according to the 6/6/00 report, "two hutch runs still d[id] not have wind breaks." Even though Gauthier claimed in his 1/24/01 report that Mr. Poor had corrected this problem, the investigators noticed that the Basset Hounds and Boxers had no doors to their housing.

References

Companion Animal Protection Society - June 2002

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