149 small breed dogs rescued from puppy mill in Denton County

peacemakr40, anonymous:

Theresa, How about actually investigating the story and not printing a press release by the Humane society?

cobra96mystic, anonymous:

Thank you for the story. I can't even watch the animal cruelty videos on the news but had to read this one since it was here in Aubrey. Anyone know why they went to Tarrant County instead of staying here in Denton?

rpoling, anonymous:

HSNT is one of the few organizations in North Texas that can handle that many animals in such poor condition, and has the expertise to rehab them while preserving evidence for a criminal investigation. I don't think there is any shelter/rescue in Denton County that could handle have handled it (at least outside the City of Denton, and that becomes a different jurisdiction). HSNT and the SPCA of Texas are the only two that come to mind that can handle domestic animals and farm animals, and have the disaster response training and resources needed for a puppy mill situation.

helenaltman, anonymous:

I think the personal property and homes of puppy mill owners, and of any animal abuser, should be sold by the local government to pay for the needs and treatment of the animals they have harmed. Treat them no different than drug dealers.

peacemakr40, anonymous:

Theresa, I would like to see a comprehensive report other than a cut an paste of the HSNT press release. Do you remember real reporting; the 5 W's? The angle of the story, maybe being unbiased though that is a fleeting thought these days. 1- have you been to the location in question 2 - have you interviewed the parties involved? 3 - have you identified the owners and gotten their side of the story? 4 - the Sherriff responded to a report( was it documented or an anonymous report?) of a puppy mill Really? Please provide the EXACT Texas code that even SAYS puppy mill. Was a Warrant issued? If so, based on what? In short, what I want to see is REAL reporting. If it's a story worth printing, it's one worth reporting on properly.

peacemakr40, anonymous:

and please excuse my adding of the H in your name.

amazinggrace, anonymous:

Teresa,

Are you serious? "Puppy mills" are not against the law. There was a law passed requiring people who own more than 11 intact female animals to be licensed. However, the details of said licensing have not yet been worked out and the infrastructure is not in place.
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/com...

Do you always just post press releases?

Guess I am old, but when I was in college only the best and the brightest were accepted to be reporters. If you are only going to post press releases I guess no reporting and/or education are necessary.

Looks like they have moved from "it's the worst case we've ever seen" to "most egregious". SMH.

amazinggrace, anonymous:

@peacemakr40, As I'm sure you know there is no definition of "puppy mill" in the statutes...sigh.

peacemakr40, anonymous:

amazinggace, that was exactly my point.

amazinggrace, anonymous:

Wait a minute..Teresa, does the HSNT have police powers in Texas? If so, who granted them? If not, why are they "investigating" anything?

Y'all might want to study the lawsuit against the HSWT which also decided it had police powers. I'm willing to bet the Federal court says they don't have such powers.

lisaltx, anonymous:

I think we have some millers trying to defend their actions.

cheetahcat2009, anonymous:

I read the wholestory. At the end though it says the animals can go to new homes right away. If they have sores how can they go to new homes? Can they be healthy? Regarding the parvo puppies, I have had a parvo dog. If 1 dog in the household is infected, all are infected. Ask any vet. So they are either sending sick dogs to nice homes to infect any other animals that might be in at home, or they do not really have parvo.

mikeorren, anonymous:

The puppy mill people get very active. See these early posts and responses on the early proto-PegasusNews blog, circa 2005: http://orrenmedia.com/?s=spca

peacemakr40, anonymous:

Teresa, For the RECORD. I am not, I repeat NOT a breeder. I am a rescue and I for one get sick of the evisceration of peoples Rights. Yes I've seen the horrors of animal abuse up close and personal. Yes I've had to make the call for Euthanization when a dog just couldn't be saved. But the difference here is, I enter a person's property AFTER they permit me to do so. Many times it's just too late and I'm left to try to pick up the pieces. I receive NO gov't money and even less in donations So before you and lisaltx want to start making slanderous allegations, you might want to consider everyone who reads this is NOT an animal rights zealot OR a substandard breeder.

Now if this is a case of actual abuses, then by all means, let them face the consequences. By actual, I don't mean tartar buildup on the teeth or a bit of algae in a water bowl. But consider this.... 1, just 1 illegal action by the raiding parties and the entire case is thrown out of court and the City of Denton Sued. My pawpaw always used to say, if something's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I would hope you can agree with that however seeing your high quality of reporting, I am in doubt.

lisaltx, anonymous:

HSNT didn't seize these dogs on their own. Denton County requested their help. And I am really getting tired of being accused of slander when I haven't.

peacemakr40, anonymous:

"lisaltx, anonymous: I think we have some millers trying to defend their actions"

lisaltx, THAT is the slanderous comment so the accusation stands. If you don't want to be accused, don't say slanderous things. Pretty simple really. And by the way, the first amendment doesn't protect your comment either.

Justthemomforthejob, anonymous:

OMGosh people! Like HSNT has the time, energy or money to fabricate their claims regarding these animals. Give me a BREAK!

I have one of the pgs rescued from this Puppy Mill...YES, it was indeed a PUPPY MILL, on my couch right now. She is recovering from an emergency c-section with her two tiny puppies. She is nothing but skin and fur stretched over bone. She is so weak that I am feeding her chicken broth from a syringe and I am bottle feeding her babies because she is so malnourished that she cannot produce milk. When she is healed and strong, she will leave foster care and will find her forever family, just as it should be.

Naysayers, may I suggest that you volunteer at your local shelter and help care for the animals that come in from a Puppy Mill? You will change your mind really fast...unless, of course, yu make your living on the backs of the animals.

OEsophagus, anonymous:

You ever notice that the people who toss around the term "slander" never seem to know what the real definition is? They're the same ones who are full of half-assed advice on how to practice journalism.

peacemakr40, anonymous:

OE, you're abosultely right, Slander is the spoken word, technically since this is text, the term would be Libel. That being said, what is your contribution to the story aside from your astute observations?

justthemom, Thank you for adding your first hand knowledge of the animals involved. this adds credibility to the claim.

lisaltx, anonymous:

Once upon a time there was a mini dachshund that lived in a puppy mill. She was paralyzed, which in her owner's mind made her prefect because she could not get away from the male dogs when they bred her, nor could she get away from her puppies. When the mill was raided she was found in a filthy bathtub, where she was kept because she didn't have bowel or bladder control. When rescued she had 23 fractures in her spine and pelvis. Yet she was continually bred. The rescue group thought she would have to be euthanized, but with intense care, including a bone stimulating machine, acupuncture, and high protein and calcium diet she has recovered. She still has a wobbly gait, and can't walk long distances. And the care was far from cheap. It cost about $6000, all paid for from donations because the rescue didn't have that type of budget. There is more to this than number and space. There is also basic humanity.

peacemakr40, anonymous:

Hmmmm. Current stories today say that HSNT put up many of these animals for adoption already. The raid was on the 6th and less than 2 weeks later they're all healed up and adoptable? And it's Just in Time for Christmas too. Teresa, now might be time for a follow up story to get the truth.

amazinggrace, anonymous:

Um..."sharp and perceptive" not so much since not only am I not a "miller", I don't even breed animals. I'm the thankless breed of person known not only as an animal rescuer, but a cat rescuer. And people even dared to email you? How dare they have a different opinion than the press release, really. @Justthemomforthejob, do you know how it is that the majority of these animals are in saleable condition (as others have noticed, just in time for Christmas)? I really don't have time to volunteer at the shelter as I am too busy doing rescue. @lisa, have you ever been around an animal in heat? They don't TRY to get away. We have a feral cat that we are trying to trap right now. She breeds HERSELF every heat cycle (and the Queens are very much in control of the whole process including choosing a Tom from several that have likely presented themselves to her), as do thousands and thousands of other feral cats in TX alone. We just hope we can trap her so that we can have her altered and end the cycle. When I hear these elaborate fabrications about how animals had to be confined so that they wouldn't try to escape being bred I find them unbelievable and am frightened that people have lost touch with reality.. I do not breed animals but I had relatives who farmed. Without going into all the gory details, they call it "heat" for a reason. Mother Nature wants the species to be preserved and causes the animals to WANT to mate - they've been doing it every heat cycle for a really long time without human intervention and without anyone crying "cruel" or "puppy mill". Far from having to confine animals to breed, you have to confine them to KEEP THEM from breeding when they are in heat. And if they are not in heat, too young, etc, they just SIT DOWN. Go look at some rabbits sometime. I wonder how many healthy animals that $6,000 would have saved? I have to hope these donors are just ignorant as to what a bloodbath the "shelters" are in TX, particularly the large ones such as Houston, Dallas and San Antonio are.
I know what kind of lies are told in these things to drum up public support and $$$$$. I saw John Stossels' expose on the HSNT a long time ago now and have a hard time believing anything is different, except Garcia is no longer the one smiling and stealing peoples animals on TV. Apparently he had a long criminal history. Not sure what difference it makes who is actually doing the taking, though. It would make so much more sense to actually work with people if there is a problem. THAT's what I call "basic humanity."

lisaltx, anonymous:

AND the millers are out in force.

Cats in heat do try to get to at tom. That is why you get them spayed. And a paralyzed female mini dachshund (meaning under 11 lbs) with 23 spinal and pelvic fractures doesn't have lots of options re: what happens to her.

amazinggrace, anonymous:

@lisa - yes, I do cat rescue as I stated (do not breed anything, but keep the baseless accusations flowing. Call me whatever you want, it doesn't make it so), and yes, we do trap cats and have them altered. Lots of cats. As many as we can possibly afford and more. It still isn't enough to make it a drop in the bucket, but we do try (did you read anything I said at all?). No, a dog such as you described does not have lots of options, but when in heat they do not WANT options, they are looking to breed. If you had to confine animals together and "force" them to breed, in many ways our jobs as rescuers would be much easier since spay and neuter would be unimportant. "Oops litters" (accidental litters) would not exist since people who did not want litters would not "force" their animals to breed, and there would be no feral cats, since no one would be "forcing" them to breed. Unfortunately that isn't the way it works, and I've seen and pulled more than my share of "oops" litters from the pound.

I'm constantly amazed and horrified by the basic lack of knowledge of animal husbandry commonly displayed in this type of thread, as well as the lack of any empathy for humans - you know, our fellow man? Our own species?

amazinggrace, anonymous:

@Teresa, Not sure how this is germane to the discussion, but over the past 7 years have volunteered for Siamese Rescue, Persian Rescue, Malamute Rescue, American Brittany Rescue. Have also been taking care of 3 colonies fo feral cats, all spayed and neutered, for the past 4 + years. Currently kicking around the idea of forming a (c)(3) with friends. Have attended many rescue seminars and conferences over the years and have "new" ideas that are not widely accepted in rescue (actually they are not "new" at all - rescue changes at approximately the speed of a glacier, apparently).
Currently living outside of Houston, so that's where the rescue will be established. Have a special interest in programs that help both animals AND people such as pet food banks.

If someone actually IS living in "deplorable conditions" SOMEONE needs to be HELPING them, not arresting them, taking pictures of their house and spreading them across the Internet to incite hate, and driving them to suicide (recent case in KY but suicide rates in these cases are FAR out of normal range). When things get better for people, they get better for animals without all f this hate.

Based on my experience, an animal would have to be in very good initial condition to be ready for sale so quickly. When we pull an animal from the pound it takes at least several weeks to prepare for adoption including alteration, vaccinations, microchipping, and recovery time from shelter disease. Of course these can all be rushed except recovery time from shelter disease. There are many other things about this story that should make anyone with a good working knowledge of animal husbandry take pause. But people read these things with their hearts instead of their heads (and HSNT and other groups who regularly seize people's property know how to make the purse strings come out).

I'm not sitting here hopping up and down with glee because of the lawsuit against HSWT, Floydada County, etc. But when people can't be reasonable, that's when the courts have to intervene and make changes. Texas ha a history of ignoring due process and property rights of people accused of animal cruelty, per the John Stossel expose video (it would seem difficult to deny this in the face of an actual news story with proof).

I would love to be able to discuss this without accusations of "milling" and flamethrowing, but I don't think anyone is going to be changing anyone's mind here unfortunately.

PJBoosinger, anonymous:

Teresa, The real question is what are your qualifications to speak on animal care at all? Write what you know? You self identify on Google as the "Dining editor" and your experience is clearly in that area: http://www.pegasusnews.com/contributo... and there's nothing on your profile that indicates ANY experience with animals: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/teresa-gu...

What are you even doing on the by-line for this article? Simply the conduit for HSWT? Did they at least pay for the page as though it was the advertising space it is?

PJBoosinger, anonymous:

Sorry, HSWT should have been HSNT. Although it's rather tough to tell them apart.

rpoling, anonymous:

"Nearly all" does not mean "all", folks. The healthy ones were adopted, the others went to rescue groups who could care for them until they were healthy enough to be adopted. It's all very simple and there's no conspiracy here.

Teresa isn't writing about "animal care" - she's reporting a story and the fact that some of you can't tell the difference is really scary. Do you also think that the talking heads on TV each night are experts on everything they report? That's a little naive and I think you know it.

And I'll reiterate what someone else said just for good measure, HSNT didn't start this. Their assistance was requested by the Denton County Sheriff, so if you have a problem with the seizure, talk to them. Stop blaming HSNT and Teresa. But then that's the beauty of the Internet, isn't it? You can say anything to anyone and never even have to face them. Shame on you.

WhitneyTM, anonymous:

May I suggest Google?

December 8 - investigation http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent...

December 9 - couple arrested http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent...

December 16 - some can be adopted after 10 days of care http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/12/...

December 19 - request for homes for the animals http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-pupp...

lisaltx, anonymous:

rpoling, thank you for your insight. I appreciate your information and your ability to understand the difference between reporting a situation and offering an editorial on it.

WhitneyTM, anonymous:

Name Cooper, Sharion Osborn Alias Cooper, Sharion; Cooper; Sharion Osborn Cooper SO # 179566

Address 2401 Counrty View Drive Aubrey, TX 76227 Desc White Female 5' 4" 183 lbs
Hair Brown Eyes Blue

Book # 490252
Booked 12/07/2011
Arresting Agency Denton County Sheriff's Office Released 12/07/2011

Code
73990643
Offense CRUELTY TO NON-LIVESTOCK ANIMALS: FAIL TO PROV
Offense Date 12/06/2011 Bond Amt 2500.00

WhitneyTM, anonymous:

Name Cooper, Martin Wayne SO # 179579

Address 2401 Countryview DR Aubrey, TX 76227 Desc White Male 5' 9" 185 lbs
Hair Brown Eyes Brown Book # 490283
Booked 12/08/2011 Arresting Agency Denton County Sheriff's Office Released 12/08/2011 Code
73990643
Offense CRUELTY TO NON-LIVESTOCK ANIMALS: FAIL TO PROV
Offense Date 12/06/2011
Bond Amt 2500.00

WhitneyTM, anonymous:

Denton County Animal Control officers seized the menagerie Dec. 6 from Sunny Acres Kennel in Aubrey.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/12/...

PJBoosinger, anonymous:

Absolutely none of which changes that FACT that Teresa, the foodie editor, simply puked out a press release from HSNT with her agreeable intro added. The other articles are also readily available to us so what is the "news" in puking out the press release? Is the "news" simply Teresa's opinion in the intro? I mean, I'm sure she's accustomed to giving her foodie opinion and one hopes she has some basis for that. And her basis for an opinion on animals and animal care is??????????

amazinggrace, anonymous:

Namecalling is a great way to shut down a discussion, albeit one I try to not indulge in. And "shame on me"? For having a different opinion? Seriously?

PJBoosinger, anonymous:

"Several years of activism... And what's wrong with printing a press release stated as such? "

In this case, what is "wrong" is that this is activism disguised as "news". Even though it's disclosed as a press release, it is posted in the "news" area instead of the opinion area of this website. In addition, there is a reporter's byline and an intro which tends to support the press release although it's become rather clear that Teresa did no independent investigation whatsoever. Not to mention that the byline also fails to disclose that the "reporter" is in fact WAY outside her normal area of expertise.

Set up a whole area of the website or a whole website and publish their advertising materials all you want; just don't pretend it's news or anything other then free advertising and promotion done on the backs of humans they get to steam roll over because they get the first, last, and only word in the press. Those they accuse get no voice and the animals they haul off, use as fund raisers, and then kill get no voice either.

lisaltx, anonymous:

PJ please point out in the original story where Teresa inserted her opinion. It primarily consists of the press release from HSNT, and includes comments from the Denton County Sheriff's department.