Puppy mill - 80 dogs
Marrero, LA (US)Incident Date: Friday, Sep 1, 2006
County: Jefferson
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Patsy S. Chism
56 Chihuahuas were rescued from a Marrero, La., puppy mill and transported to the North Shore Animal League for adoption on Sept. 21.
Capitalizing on the breed's popularity in New York's Latin American community, North Shore staff, along with a handful of the pups, appeared on the Spanish language TV station Telemundo the next day to promote the plight of the Chihuahua castaways.
"The in-studio segment caused a flurry of phone calls to the league's customer service department," said Joanne Yohannan, North Shore's vice president of operations and emergency rescue. "There were 20 potential adopters waiting at the doors when the league opened on Monday."
That Monday, Sept. 25, was the first day the dogs were available for adoption, after being vaccinated and neutered.
Since then, the Port Washington-based animal shelter - the nation's largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization - has placed 41 of the seized Chihuahuas, whose breed gained exposure by the talking Taco Bell dog, Gidget, and its slogan "Yo quiero Taco Bell."
But 10 still haven't been adopted.
"The best thing for him is to find a home," Yohannan said as she cuddled Marbles, who is recovering from an upper respiratory infection.
Like Marbles, five of the other remaining Chihuahuas also suffered health problems due to the filthy, overcrowded conditions they were living in at the Marrero home of Patsy Chism, 61. Debra Yenni, deputy Jefferson Parish attorney, said when Parish officials raided Chism's home on Sept. 1 they discovered a feces-strewn, disease-infested backyard kennel that housed some 80 dogs, most of them Chihuahuas.
The dogs, which ranged in age from 1 to 8 years old, reportedly had little water and food.
Chism is now facing numerous felony animal cruelty charges stemming from the raid. She is also charged with unrelated count of obstruction of justice in connection with the March murder of her boyfriend.
Meanwhile, North Shore officials said they expect in the next two weeks to receive a new batch of the rescued Chihuahuas from the Jefferson Parish shelter. References
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