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Case #7162 Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Dog Breeder/Kennel Shut Down
Dallas, PA (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jan 27, 2006
County: Luzerne
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Dominick Donovan
» Jennifer C Barisano
Case Updates: 6 update(s) available
Pet Care Associates,��a boarding, grooming and veterinary service facility, located off Old Tunkhannock Road in the Kunkle section of the township,�is closed while it undergoes an investigation by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
"There are citations being issued, and we do have an investigation continuing into this," said Rick Burd, the bureau's director of enforcement.
The Kunkle-area kennel, which has been the subject of numerous noise complaints, was shut down by the Department of Agriculture after an inspection conducted around Jan. 20, said Ellen Howarth, regional supervisor of the department's Bureau of Dog Law enforcement.
Pet Care Associates owners Dominick Donovan and Jennifer Barisano are each receiving five citations for violating these regulations. The citations were filed Jan. 27 with Magisterial District Judge James Tupper by state Department of Agriculture dog Warden Ellen Howarth.
Two of the citations are for failure to obtain the necessary kennel licenses, one is for failure to clean and sanitize daily, and one is for failure to maintain adequate drainage in the dog quarters, Tupper said.
The fifth is for failure to provide veterinary care, which was ordered to be given to 24 dogs in the kennel within 24 hours. Tupper said the citation stated no proof of veterinary care was given, and 12 dogs died.
Contacted Thursday, Barisano said she was unaware any citations had been filed. She said the cleanliness issue was caused by a clogged drain, which has been fixed.
She said she's tried to obtain veterinary care, but local vets won't help once they hear Parvo is suspected.
Barisano and Donovan insisted they're working with animal welfare officials. They disputed the kennel was "shut down," saying they agreed to quarantine the remaining dogs, all of which belong to them.
"The humane society came here to confirm what we reported to them," Donovan said. "We showed them all the dogs that passed away. We have them in a freezer."
Howarth said the kennel was quarantined after inspectors discovered a number of dogs, all of which belonged to Barisano and Donovan, had died from a "medical issue." She declined to reveal the medical issue, saying she was awaiting test results. She did say pet owners who boarded animals at the kennel should not worry because their pet would have already shown signs if it were infected.
Barisano said tests she performed showed the dead dogs were infected with Parvo. The highly contagious virus causes flulike symptoms, including severe diarrhea and vomiting. It attacks the intestines and can infect the heart, causing sudden death. It is most commonly fatal in puppies, which have lesser developed immune systems.
Barisano and Donovan said they believe their dogs were infected by a dog, which came into the kennel, to be cared for by the on-site veterinarian, Dr. Sharon Horn.
The couple said they believe Horn should have done more to sequester the suspect dog from others.
Reached at home Thursday, Horn declined to address the specific allegations.
Barisano said she and Donovan are "devastated" by the loss of the dogs.
The couple are breeders of a variety of dogs, but specialized in a one-of-a-kind dog � known as a Donovan Pinscher � used by law enforcement.
All told, the suspected Parvo outbreak killed 13 Donovan Pinschers, seven Jack Russell terriers, nine Belgian Malinois and five German Shepherds, they said.
"I lost in excess of $50,000 in dogs and my life's work," Donovan said. "We had to close all aspects of the business, grooming, boarding, breeding. I had to let go a dozen employees."
The couple said the dog deaths are just one of many problems they've encountered since moving here from New Jersey to purchase the kennel about two years ago.
In recent months numerous neighbors have complained to township supervisors about excessive noise caused by barking dogs.
Barisano said she expects it will be several months before the kennel can reopen. At this point she's not sure if it will reopen at all.
Case UpdatesA Luzerne County judge has upheld the animal cruelty convictions of a former area dog trainer and his girlfriend who operated a kennel where several dozen dogs were found dead.
Senior Judge Carson Brown found Dominick J. Donovan and Jennifer C. Barisano guilty of one count each of cruelty to animals, failure to provide veterinary care and failure to clean and sanitize daily, all of which were filed by the Luzerne County SPCA.
They were found not guilty on several citations issued by the state Department of Agriculture for failing to obtain a kennel license and another citation related to a sanitation issue.
Brown heard Donovan and Barisano's appeal of an April 2006 ruling by District Judge James Tupper, who found the couple guilty of numerous citations and sentenced them to 60 days in jail and nearly $3,200 in fines. While upholding part of the verdict, Brown significantly reduced the sentence, negating the prison sentence and ordering the couple to pay fines totaling $1,600.
Donovan and Barisano formerly operated Pet Care Associates, a boarding kennel and security dog training center. The kennel was shut down by the state Department of Agriculture's Dog Law Enforcement division in January 2006 after officials investigating reports of unsanitary conditions discovered 35 dogs had died there. The kennel has since been sold and is now being operated by a new owner.
The SPCA citations were based on the deaths of four of the dogs � puppies Donovan and Barisano had euthanized at the Lackawanna County SPCA. The sanitation citations related to excessive dog excrement that was found on the premises.
The couple vehemently disputed the cruelty and veterinary care citations, arguing they had put the dogs down as an act of mercy because they suspected the animals were suffering from Parvo � a virus that causes extreme diarrhea and vomiting, leaving the dogs in excruciating pain.
But Brown rejected that argument, saying Donovan and Barisano had an obligation to consult a veterinarian to make that diagnosis, rather than making that determination themselves.
Donovan and Barisano maintained they tried to get a veterinarian to examine the dogs, but none would agree to come to their facility. The SPCA disputed that, saying they had arranged for veterinarian Inayat Kathio to examine the dogs, but Donovan and Barisano refused that offer because they were unhappy with Kathio's fee. | Source: TimesLeader.com - Aug 3, 2007
Update posted on Aug 3, 2007 - 12:27PM |
| Dominick Donovan and Jennifer Barisano appear to be working in Long Island, New York, as a trainer at a training center by the name of K9 Control. Their websites, www.k9control.com and www.donovank-9.com, make no mention of their animal cruelty convictions. The donovank-9.com website appears to continue using the name Pet Care Associates, and seems to be based out of Dallas, PA. | | Update posted on Jul 25, 2006 - 11:21AM |
The former owner of the Pet Care Associates said Friday he has regained possession of the premises after a sheriff's sale and is negotiating a sale of the kennel with a potential buyer.
Bill Haddle said he regained ownership Wednesday after a foreclosure proceeding. He has a potential buyer, but he expects to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars because the value of the business decreased drastically because of the controversy that erupted about the most recent owners, Dominic Donovan and his wife, Jennifer Barisano.
Haddle and his wife, Diane, operated the kennel from 1977 until 2004, when they sold it to Donovan and Barisano. The state Department of Agriculture shut down the business in January after 35 dogs, all of which were owned by Donovan and Barisano, were found dead. Barisano previously said the animals died from the parvo virus.
The couple was later charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty and neglect for failing to keep the kennels clean and failing to provide veterinary care. A district judge found them guilty in April and sentenced them to 60 days in jail and a $3,200 fine. The sentence and fine were stayed pending their appeal of the ruling to county court, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 21.
Haddle on Friday said Donovan and Barisano left the kennel and accompanying home in deplorable condition. A tour of the premises Friday showed it to be strewn with litter and junk that Donovan and Barisano left behind once they closed the business.
Haddle said he sold the kennel to Donovan and Barisano in July 2004 for $750,000. He estimates its worth now is only about $250,000 because of the condition of the buildings and the legal troubles encountered by Donovan and Barisano destroyed the kennel's reputation.
"When we sold it was grossing $650,000 to $675,000 a year. Right now it's zero. The only thing we can sell is the real estate," Haddle said.
Attorney Barry Dyller, whose office represents Donovan and Barisano, said Friday he did not have personal knowledge of the condition the premises were left. He said the couple tried to close the business down "as orderly as possible" given the pressure they were under. | Source: Times-Leader - June 10, 2006
Update posted on Jun 14, 2006 - 12:02AM |
The owners of a Back Mountain kennel where 35 dogs died last January were sentenced to 60 days in jail and ordered to pay more than $1,500 in fines on animal cruelty and abuse of animal charges.
Dominick Donovan and his wife, Jennifer Barisano, owners of Pet Care Associates in the Kunkle section of Dallas Township, were convicted on April 10 of failing to keep their kennel in sanitary condition, failing to clean and sanitize daily, failing to maintain adequate drainage in dog quarters, and failing to obtain the necessary kennel licenses.
Magisterial District Judge James Tupper, Trucksville, also found the couple guilty of not providing veterinary care for 24 dogs in the kennel as ordered by the state Department of Agriculture. According to citations issued by Pennsylvania dog warden Ellen Howarth, 12 dogs died after they did not receive care after an initial inspection.
In all, 35 dogs died from contracting Parvo virus at the kennel. The specialty police dogs that died belonged to Donovan and Barisano, who also operated a dog breeding and training business. In February, Donovan said he closed down the kennel when the Parvo outbreak started and no animals belonging to his customers were affected.
Pet Care Associates, a boarding, grooming and veterinary service facility located off Old Tunkhannock Road, was purchased by the couple last year.
Their attorney, Paula Radick, said they will appeal the magistrate's decision.
When contacted in February, veterinarian Sharon Horn, who had practiced at Pet Care Associates, said she no longer worked there and had nothing to do with the citations. Horn, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, was not available for comment. | Source: Citizen's Voice - April 13, 2006
Update posted on Apr 17, 2006 - 4:19PM |
Jennifer Bansano, Pet Care Associates
Citation P5190630-4
Failed to Obtain Boarding Class License
Citation 5190631-5
Failed to Obtain K2 Class License
Citation 5190632-6
Failed to Maintain Water Resistance/Drainage
Citation 5190633-0
Failed to Clean and Sanitize Daily
Citation 5190634-1
Failed to Provide Veterinary Care | Source: PA Dept of Agricullture
Update posted on Feb 8, 2006 - 7:17PM |
Dominick Donovan, Pet Care Associates
RR 1 Box 380
Kunkle PA 18612
Citation P5190624-5
Failed to Obtain K2 Class License
Citation P5190623-4
Failed to Obtain Boarding Class License
Citation P5190626-0
Failed to Maintain Water Resistance/Drainage
Citation P5190629-3
Failed to Provide Veterinary Care
Citation P5190627-1
Failed to Clean and Sanitize Daily | Source: PA Dept of Agricullture
Update posted on Feb 8, 2006 - 7:16PM |
References |
