At first it looked like the First Family had reached a decision on their dog breed - if not the exact dog - to bring into their new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Reports earlier today, based on a People magazine interview with Michele Obama, suggested it was a Portuguese water dog that got the family's nod. She told the magazine she liked the water dogs for their medium build and their temperment. But it wouldn't be Washington without some backtracking. Later Mrs. Obama's press secretary told the Chicago Tribune:

"They have not selected a breed," said her spokeswoman Katie McCormick Lelyveld. "Mrs. Obama likes the Portuguese water dog, but she is only one of four votes."
 

Portuguese water dog breeders say the breed, whose hypoallergenic coats would be suitable for the allergy-prone Malia Obama, might not be the right fit for a neophyte dog-owners.

Mary Harkins, coordinator of rescue and relocation for the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America, told the Tribune: "It might be a little bit too much for a family who has never owned a dog before, especially this family."

She said the primary reason water dogs end up in rescues is because of their high energy levels.

Last month President Obama said the family had narrowed its choice to the water dog or a labradoodle, also known as a labrador/poodle cross.

Four months after the passage of the new dog law, the state has agreed to suspend enforcement of a core provision of the law until a federal lawsuit is decided.

In an order filed Feb. 18 in U.S. District Court, the state will allow commercial breeders appealing their license revocations to continue to operate pending the outcome of the case. In exchange, the Professional Dog Breeders Advisory Council, which is suing the Department  of Agriculture on constitutional grounds, agreed not to seek an injunction to stop the enforcement of the entire law. 

Under the law, the department has the right to issue cease and desist orders restricting breeders from selling or buying more dogs while their revocation cases are on appeal. It has issued such orders on two occasions since Jan. 10 when the law went into effect, officials said. 

Now lawmakers who supported the bill to crack down on the state's puppy mills and animal welfare advocates, who fought for years for its passage, accuse state officials of conceding to breeders before the lawsuit has been heard.

"This litigation stops the enforcement of key provisions of the legislation and every day that this law is not being enforced is another day that dogs are potentially being abused in commercial facilities," said Rep. Bryan Lentz (D., Delaware).

Neither the council's spokesman, Robert Yarnall Jr, nor the plaintiff's attorney, Leonard Brown of the Lancaster-based firm Clymer & Musser, could be reached for comment.

Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue, which has taken in and treated hundreds of injured and diseased puppy mill dogs, called the agreement "cowardly."

"I feel cheated," he said. "They told us for three years that they couldn't do anything without a law and now we have a law and they are giving in."

A spokesman for Attorney General Tom Corbett denied that the state had capitulated to commercial breeders.

"Our goal is simple; to get the federal district court to rule that the statute is constitutional," said Corbett's spokesman Kevin Harley. "This allows [us] to move forward in an expiated manner toward that goal without extraneous issues."

Rep. Douglas Reichley (R., Lehigh) called it "a strange tactic that could set a precedent for other breeders to forestall revocation."

Reichley, a former prosecutor, represents the district where Almost Heaven kennel - which  received a cease and desist order - is located.

"Mr. Eckhart and his cohorts have been thumbing their noses at law enforcement authorities and this puts more animals in danger," he said.

Agriculture Department spokesman Chris Ryder said the agreement helps dogs by allowing dogs to leave more quickly and preventing additional dogs from coming in.

Ryder said the agreement was made to preserve the rest of the dog law from injunction and sets a six-week timeline for filings in the case.

"The department does believe in the constitutionality of the dog law and will very vigorously defend it," he said.

Ryder also said the agreement is temporary and does not allow kennels to buy or breed more dogs, only to sell them.

But Garen Meguerian, a Philadelphia-area attorney representing a plaintiff in a consumer fraud suit against CC Pets - one of the largest dog sellers in the state - fears that the state's strategy may backfire.

Meguerian said the deal "could demonstrate to the court that the Commonwealth was so concerned about an injunction and about the merits of the claims that they essentially entered into a stipulation acquiescing to one."

Both Lentz and Reichley say they want administration attorneys to explain their rationale for agreeing to such a deal.

The state has issued two cease and desist orders since the law went into effect last month, both of them are kennels with troubled histories of dog law and animal cruelty convictions.

In addition to Derbe Eckhart's Almost Heaven kennel in Lehigh County, the bureau also sent a cease and desist notice to Daniel Esh of Scarlet-Maple Farm in Lancaster County. The two are among the largest breeders in the state and both have long, troubled histories including multiple dog law violations. Eckhart has twice been convicted on animal cruelty charges. 

In addition to the unamed members of the Pet Breeders Advisory Council, plaintiffs in the suit include Nathan Myer, one of the largest breeders in the state, as well as two New Jersey pet store owners, Nat Sladkin and Susan Inserra.

 

 

 

 

"Throw me a home mister!" Pennsylvania SPCA animals are celebrating “Mardi Paws” and “Fat Cat Tuesday” by riding their party float (aka, The PSPCA RV) to Doggie Style pet boutique in Olde City. Adoptable dogs and cats will be on parade outside the store at 315 Market St. on Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. – but they're not looking for Mardi Gras beads, they’ll be looking for new homes. Two special pooches will be crowned “Mardi Paws King and Queen” and take a spot in the “Smooch-a-Pooch” kissing booth, parked outside the store.

A new study from University of Pennsylvania that surveyed dog owners who use confrontational or aversive methods to train aggressive pets, found that most of these animals will continue to be aggressive unless training techniques are modified. The study, published in the latest issue of Applied Animal Behavior Science, also showed that using non-aversive or neutral training methods such as additional exercise or rewards elicited very few aggressive responses.

Pet crime of the week - Police have charged a Gettysburg man with disorderly conduct after they say he reacted belligerently to a person who told him to stop beating a seeing-eye dog. The charges against 66-year-old William E. Bowers were filed after police say he "went off the deep end" when someone tried to intervene on behalf of the dog. Police referred a cruelty complaint to the Adams County SPCA.

Puppy mill raid of the week - More than 200 dogs and a Bengal tiger were rescued from a kennel in southwest Missouri. Humane officers who entered the problem-plagued kennel in the town of Seneca found dogs covered in feces with no food and frozen water bowls. The malnourished tiger, who weighed only 175 pounds, was housed in a 12 by 15 foot pen which also contained dog corpses, authorities said. The raid came 18 months after the owner, Jewel Bond, surrendered 150 dogs and agreed to shut down the kennel.

Gov. Rendell was honored for his efforts to curb puppy mills at the Pennsylvania SPCA's third annual Good Dog Gala held Saturday night. Also honored for their work on behalf of animals was Main Line Animal Rescue, PSPCA board member Jennifer Utley (also the wife of Phillies second baseman Chet Utley), Yaron Properties and Philadelphia assistant district attorney Barbara Paul. Some 400 animal lovers - some with their costumed best friends in tow - attended the fundraiser at the pet-friendly Loews Hotel.
 

 

More than four months after Pennsylvania SPCA agents raided a Lehigh County kennel where 800 animals were living in filth, operator Derbe Eckhart defended himself, saying the state had no serious issues with his operation until the raid.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the raid, Eckhart told a hearing officer with the Department of Agriculture that during dozens of inspections prior to the October raid, and as recently as last August, dog wardens had found only minor violations that were corrected.

"They would explain what was wrong, they would reinspect and it was fixed," Eckhart said during an admistrative appeal hearing in Harrisburg on his kennel license revocation.

The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement revoked  Eckhart's license on Oct. 2, one day after the raid.

Eckhart's attorney, Kevin Fitzgerald, said he believed that since no violations were found during an August inspection, the kennel license would not have been revoked had the PSPCA not raided the property.

"They were in business for ten years, inspected two times a year and never once closed down," said Fitzgerald. "This shows the SPCA had an effect on the loss of the license."

Bureau director Susan West testified that the raid did not precipitate the license revocation. When asked how it was that West found nothing wrong when she was among those conducting the August inspection, she said she was "looking at the condition of the dogs."

On the day of the raid, dog warden Kristen Donmoyer testified she was overwhelmed by the stench of ammonia in the kennels and that she saw rusted pipes, broken kennel flooring, jagged cage wires, filthy bedding and dog houses, and many dogs with matting so severe it restricted their  ability to defecate - all serious violations of the state dog law.

Donmoyer said conditions had not improved when wardens returned to conduct two subsequent inspections over the next month. In one case she found puppies lying in food bowls and a litter of puppies and their mother covered with diarrhea, lying in a urine and feces-filled box. 

Eckhart said he and his six employees were unable to continue their daily cleaning on the day of the raid because they were "in lockdown" in a room while humane agents searched his property.

Donmoyer testified that the dirty kennels and clogged drains reflected more than a day's worth of accumulation.

David McKenzie III, assistant counsel for Department of Agriculture, said the agency had revoked the license based on conditions found in the Oct. 1 inspection and two subsequent inspections and Eckhart's "failure to be rehabilitated" following convictions on animal cruelty charges in 1988 and 1993.

On Wednesday, a Lehigh County district justice ordered Eckhart to stand trial on multiple counts of animal cruelty relating to evidence found during the raid. Agents seized 60 dogs at the time of the raid who were suffering from various injuries and disease.

State hearing officer Jackie Lutz said yesterday she will review the court transcripts and legal briefs within the next few weeks and send the case to Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff for a final ruling.

 

The following were some of the recent cases investigated by the Pennsylvania SPCA. Headquartered at 350 E. Erie Avenue in Philadelphia, the PSPCA operates six branches throughout the state. For more information, call (215) 426-6300 or visit www.pspca.org. To report animal cruelty, call the PSPCA's 24-hour hotline at 1-866-601-SPCA.

Bullet Removed from Hanged Dog
RENOVO ST. 1900 block, Jan. 23. Animal control officers responded to a call and found the body of a dog hanging from a fence. When conducting a necropsy, a forensic veterinarian found a bullet in the dog’s skull. PSPCA humane officers are searching for the dog’s owner. Anyone with information is urged call the PSPCA’s anonymous cruelty reporting hotline.

Cat Hoarder Sentenced
NORTH ST., 1800 block, February 3. A woman pleaded guilty to unsanitary confinement of cats. In September 2008, the PSPCA removed 21 cats from the woman’s flea-and roach-infested home. The cats were taken to the PSPCA for medical treatment. The woman was ordered to pay court costs and restricted to owning no more than two animals.
 
Rescued Pony Gallops Off to Greener Pastures
February 5, Philadelphia Fletcher, a pony rescued by PSPCA humane officers on January 23, is now residing in his new home in Chester County. Fletcher, estimated to be between five and seven years old, was emaciated and had a badly matted coat when agents found him in a dilapidated stable.

A horse and a pit bull also were removed by PSPCA officers from the stables in the 2600 block of Fletcher Street  on January 23. The owner, who surrendered all of the animals, was cited for lack of veterinary care and unsanitary confinement. The horse will be transported to the PSPCA’s Danville branch for adoption. The dog will be available for adoption at the PSPCA’s Philadelphia branch. 

The Danger of Changing Pet Food Too Frequently
February 4, Philadelphia. A woman fearing that her cat was severely ill, brought him to the PSPCA’s animal hospital. The cat was suffering from gastrointestinal discomfort. Upon examination of the cat and questioning of his owner by PSPCA staff, it was determined that she had changed the cat’s food frequently in the three weeks since she had adopted him. PSPCA vet staff prescribed an enzyme and ordered the woman to monitor the cat’s eating and litter box habits over the next few weeks. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Urban Puppy Mill Operator Convicted
KENSINGTON AVE. 3300 block, February 3. A man who had been keeping puppies at an abandoned house was found guilty in absentia on one charge of unsanitary confinement and one count of lack of veterinary care. He was ordered to pay a fine for each count and court costs. In September 2008, animal control officers removed one adult pit bull and six puppies from the property. The dog’s owner had sold one of the littermates at just four weeks of age. The law at the time required dogs to be at least seven weeks old when they were sold. (The new dog law increases the legal age for selling a dog to eight weeks.) Because it was taken away from its mother too soon, the puppy did not survive.

The Wilkes-Barre area woman who pierced the ears, tails and necks of kittens and tried to sell them as "Goth" accessories will stand trial for animal cruelty.



That's what a Luzerne County District Judge ruled yesterday. 

Dog groomer Holly Crawford was charged with six counts of animal cruelty by the SPCA of Luzerne County after the agency received a tip she was selling the maimed kittens on eBay for hundreds of dollars.

Defense attorney Demetrius Fannick said there was no violation of existing state law because there was no malice or intent to disfigure the kittens.

“She pierced their ears and their necks,” Fannick said. “She chose to pierce them because it was ‘neat,’ or to beautify them; other people buy gold collars, or dress their pets in clothes and hats and have birthday parties.”

Crawford will be arraigned in Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas on Apr. 24. Charges against Crawford’s boyfriend, William Blansett, were dropped after Crawford admitted she was the solely responsible for piercing the kittens.

One of the three kittens lost its tail and another was in the process of losing its tail because of a rubber band wrapped tightly around it.

The charges were filed after humane officers and state troopers, searched Crawford’s home on Dec. 17 and seized the kittens with ear, neck and tail piercings.

Luzerne Count Assistant District Attorney David Pedri said the kittens had been pierced multiple times. “That constitutes cruelty,” Pedri said. “It inflicted pain and caused infections.”

The district court judge, John Paul Hadzik, called the case a “gray area of the law" that needs to be decided by a trial judge or a jury.

A Sullivan County kennel operator is facing multiple counts of animal cruelty after State Police found as many as 30 dead animals, including the decomposing bodies of 21 dogs during two raids last week, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.

Five surviving dogs were sent to the SPCA of Luzerne County where they are being treated for parasite infestation.

Troopers and state dog wardens obtained a search warrant Thursday to investigate conditions at Autumnbriar kennel owned by Laura Antretter in Dushore and found the bodies of six dogs. At that time Antretter surrendered 27 dogs, mostly Jack Russell terriers, who were sent to a shelter in neighboring Wayne County. Authorities said they returned Friday with a search warrant to conduct a further investigation and found 15 more dead dogs. Antretter had fled the property.

The dead dogs were found in various states of decomposition strewn about the wooded property and in wood crates, said Chris Ryder a spokesman with the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. The cause of their deaths is under investigation, he said.

At the time of the last state inspection in November, there were 91 dogs in the kennel. It was unclear how many dogs, if any, Antretter took with her when she fled.

There were as many as nine other dead animals, including cats on the property, police said.

State police Trooper Thomas Blair said he had not yet met with the district attorney to file charges and there was no warrant issued yet for Antretter's arrest.

On her Website, Antretter said she was committed to "the preservation of old world canines" and had been breeding dogs, Jack Russell terriers, Atlas Terriers and Lurchers, for 22 years. Autumnbriar was the only licensed kennel in Sullivan County, located in a remote region of northeastern Pennsylvania.

Antretter, who was also known as Lauren Wolfe, received a kennel license in 2007 after she was cited by dog wardens for operating illegal kennel. Conditions went downhill in 2008 which led to the revocation of her license, Ryder said.

Court records indicate Antretter received 15 citations for unsafe and unsanitary conditions and failure to produce rabies vaccination records between 2005 and December 2008.

Four inspection reports in 2008 reveal widespread problems at the kennel, including pens with sharp wire edges, filthy water and food bowls, feces-filled cages, poor drainage and no health or sales records. Inspection reports also indicate Antretter housed unneutered and unspayed dogs together which can provoke fighting and indiscriminate breeding.

Pictures posted on Antretter's web site depict pastoral scenes of dogs, goats and horses around a pond, while another shows rows of cages of Jack Russells stacked three high with dogs crammed inside. Television footage of the property taped after the raid show rows of wood crates outside a house. 

Vincent Sweeney, executive director of the SPCA of Luzerne County, said the five surviving dogs are "loaded with worms" but are otherwise doing well. One dog suffered from lacerations on his leg, likely from standing in an undersized cage, he said. Sweeney said Antretter contacted the shelter by cell phone today and that he is hoping she will surrender the dogs in his shelter's care and any others in her possession.
 

A California artist set tongues wagging in Berkeley when residents learned the sculptures he made for a pedestrian bridge depicting dogs in various poses were, well, not the poses they thought they should be paying for.

Artist Scott Donahue of Emeryville, Calif., was paid $196,000 by Berkeley's public arts program to create two 28-foot-high statues in fiberglass stone and bronze, which as the artist decibels it, personify the city, its culture and recreation. Along with the birdwatchers and kiteflyers is a series of small medallions depicting dogs doing doggy things - like chasing, sniffing, defecating and yes, copulating. (click here for the full photo show)

Reactions are decidely mixed around Berkeley. Some outraged taxpayers said they think the amount of taxpayer money spent on public art at a time when California faces a major budget crisis was excessive. One resident was unmoved by the controversial subject matter. She told Fox News it was just natural science, "it's what dogs do."  Do?

The Monday Morning Wag


- The pet-friendly Loews Hotel chain is offering a "Presidential Pooch" package at many of its locations, including Philadelphia, Washington and Annapolis. The "Indoguration" special -- good for the first 100 days of President Obama's administration (through April 29) - includes one night for guests and their pet, a Stars and Stripes room service meal for your pup and special patriotic bandana. The Philadelphia Loews, located in the beautifully restored PSFS tower on Market Street, is among the many locations offering the deal. That location is also the site of the annual PSPCA's Good Dog Gala fundraiser on Feb. 21. 

- Another day another puppy mill bust. This time in Sparta, Tennessee where ASPCA staff rescued more than 250 small breed dogs from undersized, feces encrusted cages and pens on Feb. 11. The dogs are being treated for multiple maladies including sores, mange, bad teeth and severe socialization issues. One ASPCA official said he doubted many of the dogs had ever been outside. The owners of the mill are now facing multiple cruelty charges. You may remember last June when the Humane Society of the United States rescued 700 sick and injured dogs from another puppy mill in Tennessee.

- There's still time to enter your favorite feline in the HSUS annual Spay Day photo contest. Spay Day is HSUS and Humane Society International's annual event to inspire people to save animals' lives by spaying or neutering pets and feral cats.

A celebrity panel of judges including Matt Grant (TV's "The Bachelor"), Tamar Geller (author and dog trainer), Patrick McDonnell ("MUTTS" cartoonist), and Chrisopher Ameruoso (professional photographer) will pick a Grand Prize Winner, 10 Finalists, and 25 Honorable mentions. The top prize winner gets a feature photo and article in the March issue of All Animals magazine plus a $1000 shopping spree at Humane Domain. Finalists get their photo posted on the HSUS Web site and $200 gift certificates. There are also a slew of prizes for top fundraisers. The event is held on Feb. 24, but cat lovers have until Feb. 27 to enter their photos.