Small Town Shelter Strikes Gold
Has anyone thought about MY situation here in a SMALL town of 3000 whose Animal Shelter is run by the City. The City has very little money. Most of the shelter workers are volunteers. The paid employees have very low wages with no insurance and generally only work part-time. And jobs are scarce in this town. So the Animal Shelter did a RAID on a local family just for PROFIT, to get local support and donations from non-profit organizations. It has destroyed my belief in the Humane Shelter System. With all the ads on TV of these Non-Profit Organizations showing sad sick dogs and requesting you to send them money, I happen to live in a City that took advantage of an opportunity they saw because they needed money, supplies, medicine, and dog food. They had used their Facebook page to ask for donations and volunteers and weren't getting what they needed. This is the flip side of a situation that Legislators must consider when enacting legislation.
This family was not aware of their 4th Amendment Right to demand a Warrant. They trusted they had done nothing wrong and the truth would come out and all would be right again! WRONG! They live on 12 acres, had 36 dogs seized (9 being AKC German Shepherd puppies) by a local animal shelter, a vet, and the police. Nothing was ever published in the paper except that they were charged with one (1) count of animal cruelty - not 36 as the police officer told them he thought the whole thing would get dismissed and it was foolish. The vet checked and 1 puppy had worms. So, the Humane Shelter took all the animals away, along with all their AKC paperwork, their shot records, and this poor family whose life was their animals (most of which were old, spayed or neutered) and very small dogs with a few large German Shepherds. Two dogs I happen to know they took in because they were contacted by people who couldnt afford to feed them and asked if they
would find them a good home. I was one of the persons they were talking to about taking one of the German Shepherds given to them.
This family had 5 breedable females. Two of them were pregnant with top of the line AKC German Shepherd puppies. I had sold them two dogs from Good Shepherd K-9 Academy when I moved here being a small breeder myself of only AKC German Shepherds in order to just keep my top notch AKC Male German Shepherds bloodline from a $27,000 male shepherd from Germany alive. I was never in it for profit, loved each animal and puppy I sold but knew that anyone who got one of my dogs would receive a dog that could be used for K-9 search and rescue, bomb squad, or any other type of military use. Here in TN, a Breeder is a person who has 20 female breedable dogs otherwise you do not require a license. This family had 5. So are they a "puppy mill."? ABSOLUTELY NOT! They were preparing to show their Solid White AKC male german shepherd this year, as he was not quite 1 year of age.
Just so you know.....there NEVER has been a Warrant, a court hearing, or anything. Because they were charged they had to hire a local attorney who wanted his $1300 and worked with the DA to make this go away all to the benefit of a small town Animal Shelter that needed money. They returned to this family 8 of their dogs, one of which had a fever of 104, all of which they had spayed/neutered (including the solid White AKC German Shepherd), kept all the other dogs, and have signed up for every non-profit organization they could to get FREE stuff. I know PetSmart Charities donated 36 crates, 36 dog beds, 2 months of dog food and all medication. How many more non-profit companies has sent them money/donations.
There are two sides of every story and many small time breeders love each and every dog they breed, as I do. The system of trusting your Animal Shelter is faulty and there has to be protection in place for the GOOD BREEDERS too!
Signed -- Confidential Informant