Woman Accused of Keeping 84 Dogs in Crates
July 27, 2004 -- That sad look you see sometimes in your dog's eyes could be him remembering something you didn't even know you rescued him from.
Too many puppies begin their lives in dog breeding factories that force mothers to have litter after litter. Their pups are packed in cramped, unsanitary conditions until they can be shipped off to unscrupulous or unsuspecting pet shops, or sold to families who do too little to check on where their pups were raised, humane society and American Kennel Club officials say.
The conditions in some of these so-called puppy mills are so bad, they are criminal.
In one, a Colorado woman is facing 15 counts of animal cruelty for allegedly abandoning 84 Labrador retrievers in crates too small for the sick, emaciated dogs to even stand up in. Catherine "Dody" Cariaso is due to be arraigned today on the charges at Larimer County District Court.
Of the 84 dogs found crated in the home, 54 were so sick they had to be euthanized by the Larimer County Humane Society, officials said.
Sadly enough, that case is not an isolated incident, according to animal protection groups and the AKC. And a scan of the nation's news bears out their claim.
Horror Stories Abound
In New Hampshire, a Hancock woman is accused of running a puppy mill after animal rescue workers removed 17 dogs from her home, where they believe she may have been keeping more than 100.
"The kennels were to capacity, therefore the dogs spilled over into the yard and the house," Hancock Police Chief Steven Baldwin told ABC News affiliate WMUR.
Police have removed dozens of animals from the home of the woman, Ricki Daugsiewicz, over the last two years, Baldwin said.
The latest concerns were raised after a Stratham, N.H., woman said she bought two Chihuahuas from Daugsiewicz and the dogs died within three days. The woman's veterinarian told her the breeder had sold her puppies that were just 6 weeks old, too young to be taken from their mother.
In Hannibal, N.Y., 23 dogs have been placed in foster care after animal control officers seized them from what they said was a puppy mill there.
The dogs were found lying in their own feces, many with worms and several pregnant, town officials said.
"Some of them you could see sores on," Hannibal code enforcement officer Wayne Newton told ABC News affiliate WIXT. "They were all really friendly — they wanted some attention. Basically they were harbored in these little cages. You don't know how long they've been in there or when the last time is they've had fresh water."
Animal control officials said they believe homeowner Sherry Schmitt was in Florida, and she could face charges of animal abuse, neglect, and illegal breeding.
In Hobson, Mont., 114 dogs were seized from several different locations believed to be operated by the same people. The dogs were being kept in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, and many were suffering from eye and ear infections and worms, Judith Basin County officials said.
The county took the dogs, which included mutts as well as poodles, basset hounds and St. Bernards, and has been nursing them back to health, but cannot try to find them homes until legal questions in the case are resolved, said Bonnie Ostertag, Judith Basin County Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator.
The conditions the investigators found in the Colorado case shocked them, and Humane Society of the United States officials say that's a good indication of how you can protect yourself from buying a dog from a puppy mill — and help put them out of business, to boot.
To get more tips, click here.
"Don't buy a puppy from anyone, unless you yourself have seen where that puppy was raised, even if it means you've got to get on a plane and fly across the country to see the breeder," said Stephanie Shain, HSUS director of outreach. "That might seem burdensome, but it's not as burdensome as having that dog die on you a month after you get it, or having to spend thousands of dollars to nurse it."
That's what Amy Lomitor said happened to her after she bought her yellow Lab, Murray, from Cariaso a year and a half ago. She told KMGH she's had to spend $10,000 on surgeries for the dog's hip problems, lesions and eye and ear infections.
She said she believes Cariaso is an unethical breeder, but after a hearing earlier this month, Cariaso said it is the county that mistreated the dogs, not her.
"They murdered my dogs," she said. "The Larimer Humane Society is out of control. They blew everything totally out of proportion. They [the dogs] were all healthy and they slaughtered them. They killed them while they slept in their beds and never gave them a chance."
Calling herself "an expert in dog breeding," she said she had only left the dogs unattended for six hours, after she left her home when her landlord gave her 24 hours to move.
But investigators say she abandoned 84 dogs without food or water and posted a note on her front door, telling police to take her dogs to the Larimer County Humane Society.
"They were left unattended for just six hours. They were fed the day before. I've been a breeder for 32 years, and never had any violations. I am an expert in dog breeding," she said.
However, state officials told a different story, telling KMGH that Cariaso had a history of sanitation and civil complaints for which she had been fined several times. She has never been cited for abuse, though, because animal control officers never found any signs of abuse during their home visits, assistant state veterinarian Keith Roehr said.
In January, authorities in Weld County, adjacent to Larimer, seized 60 of Cariaso's dogs because they said she had been violating a zoning ordinance that only allowed her to have 16 adult dogs.
A Slap on the Wrist
Many states don't have laws specifically dealing with puppy mills, and in many states that do, the penalties are negligible, Shain said.
Even in states where the punishment is more than a slap on the wrist, there are other problems.
"It can be difficult even if they want to go in, just resource-wise," she said, pointing out that jurisdictions often do not have enough staff to investigate when there are complaints, and if they do, find themselves in desperate straits when they suddenly have to care for dozens of sick, hungry dogs.
She said that disagreements between the HSUS and breeders' groups about how to deal with the problem have to some extent inhibited the passage of tougher laws against puppy mills.
American Kennel Club spokeswoman Gail Miller said the group inspects all kennels registered with it, and if a breeder claims to be affiliated with the AKC, a prospective dog-buyer can check the seller's credentials with the organization.
"We endorse the breeding of dogs by responsible breeders and oppose the mass breeding of dogs," Miller said.
ABC News affiliates KMGH in Denver, WMUR in Manchester, N.H., and WIXT in Syracuse, N.Y., contributed to this report.