Massive Puppy Mill Raid in TN – Almost 700 Dogs – VIDEO
Yesterday’s raid on Pine Bluff Kennels on Ed Lyell Road in Hickman County, TN, is believed to be “largest puppy mill rescue ever conducted in Tennessee” according the the HSUS. A variety of breeds of dogs were rescued from conditions described as “extremely poor,” typical of a ‘puppy mill’.
Many dogs were suffering from obvious illness and injuries such as skin conditions, eye injuries and broken bones. It’s believed that many dogs were never let out of their cages. Many were without waters and there was a build-up of feces. Dead dogs as well as dogs very close to death were found.
“We are looking at about 700 animals right now, maybe more will be added to that count,” said Stephanie Shain, director of the Humane Society’s Stop Puppy Mills campaign. “The conditions are extremely poor. They are typical of a breeding operation like this, what we call a puppy mill.”
Officials and volunteers found about 200 puppies. The rest of the dogs were used for breeding.
Shain said puppy mill dogs typically are sold at prices from $150 to $1,000.
“It is likely that no one who ever purchased a puppy from this operation saw these conditions,” Shain said.
Selling puppies on the Internet allows breeding operations to remain out of sight from potential buyers, Shain said. She estimated that there are more than 10,000 “puppy mills” operating in the U.S.
The rescue was set in motion by the Humane Society, which received tips from residents. Kim Helper, district attorney for Hickman, Lewis, Perry and Williamson counties, had investigators build a case against the puppy mill operator, who has not been identified or charged.
Shain said other animals were kept at the 92-acre property, including ponies, goats and birds. Approximately 60 volunteers were involved in the rescue.
“Our primary concern right now, and what we’re focusing on, is assuring that those animals are taken care of properly … that they’re evaluated to assure that they receive any necessary treatment,” Helper said. “And once we have taken care of those animals, at that point our office will look at whether or not we need to file any criminal charges.”
The owner of Pine Bluff Kennels could face numerous animal cruelty charges, including aggravated animal cruelty, a class E felony that carries a possible two-year prison sentence, according to Helper.
Humane Society officials said it would take hours to transport and catalog all the animals, and didn’t expect to finish until this morning. (Tennesean)
The farm belonged to Patricia Adkisson and this is not her first brush with the law. Adkisson was charged in 1998 with 195 counts of animal neglect and cruelty after police and animal officials said they found hundreds of malnourished dogs and puppies on her property.
Three convictions stemming from the 1998 charges were overturned in 2001 when an appeals court found that police had improperly searched her property, which violated her constitutional rights.
Helper said she didn’t want what happened in the last case to happen again.
“We want to make sure that if criminal charges are filed in this case that we have a successful prosecution,” she said.
UPDATES
6/29/08 – Follow-Up on Pine Bluff Kennel, Almost 700 Dog Seized from Puppy Mill – VIDEO
7/1/08 – Good News for More of the Tennessee Rescued Puppy Mill Dogs
7/3/08 – People Flock to Adopt Rescued Pine Bluff Kennel Dogs, More Disturbing Details Emerge
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How do these mill people sleep at night?!!I simply cannot grasp what kind of a person it takes to cause this much suffering and obviously not care..The arrogance of the human race never ceases to make me absolutely sick sometimes.
@Kerry – Kerry, I’d say they were no more than animals but that gives animals a bad name. All they look at is filling their pockets and they could not care less because they’re “only dogs” and you know what I think of that!
D.
Hope the owner burns in HELL!!
Greed is a very ugly, ugly monster.
At what price do Loving Animals have to pay?
I hope that the people responsible for this long suffering, extensive p’mill are forever banned from owning Animals again.
That would be justice!!
How about as JUST punishment, that the couple be jailed in a cell about the size of a closet, use a bucket as their toilet, and be fed bread and water daily without washing the food bowl?
Burning in hell sounds good..so does the closet..But maybe a wire cage,one that has another POS stacked right on top of them…having feces and urine rain down on their pathetic a–..and sew a matted fur coat on them,fake fur of course,and let them give birth and have their only solace taken..over,and over,and over….
I helped off load 100 of those animals at a local shelter. It was a sad site. Be assured that SPCA will take good care of them and find them all loving homes.
But what about the others? This is happening all over the country. Please…support the Humane Society of the United States…AND your local Animal Shelters. They need your help!
these animal need some one to love and take care of them
they should have the same rights as our children and have to be taken care of just like them and not considered property sooner people take that attiude the sooner the they all this will stop i know these people will burn in hell these are breathing living creatures of from god so lets start treating them like it .
If people STOP buying puppies like groceries these places will cease to exist. That’s all it will take…
Take your time, do your research on your chosen type of dog. If you don’t have a particular need for a purebred, then adopt from a shelter. If your choice is a purebred, try a rescue or a reputable breeder.
What is a reputable breeder you may ask. Well for one thing they probably are a member of the parent club for their breed. Secondly, they’re not just going to hand over a puppy for money. They will probably want to interview you or have you fill out an application. Some people get annoyed with this, but to the reputable breeder, this is NOT just a product, it’s a living thing and they take responsibility for it for its whole life. Expect to sign a contract stating that you will return the dog to the breeder if at any time you are unable to care for it.
If everyone did this then there would be no demand for puppy mills to supply. Legislation will not help, enforcing the current laws (how did this person get out of it the first time!) will, and education of the consumer will help the most.
Please feel free to forward this in its enirety if you would like to educate anyone about the way to stop puppy mills.