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Case #7227 Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Puppy mill - 333 dogs seized
Oxford, PA (US)Incident Date: Friday, Feb 10, 2006
County: Chester
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 4 files available
Defendants/Suspects:
» Michael Wolf
» Gordon Trottier
» Margaret Jean Hills
Case Updates: 17 update(s) available
Animal welfare officials took about 300 dogs from three Chester County houses on Feb 10, citing unsanitary conditions, authorities said.
The Chester County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals removed the animals following a complaint about conditions of animals on the property on Old Baltimore Pike, officials said.
"They were not being cleaned up after," Chester County SPCA spokesman Chuck McDevitt said. "Some were in crates, some were roaming through the houses."
McDevitt said the state had revoked a kennel license for the property.
About 300 dogs, mostly adults, were taken into custody along with a parrot, officials said. There were several breeds of dogs, with the largest numbers being Cavalier King Charles spaniels and English bulldogs, officials said.
The agency had to rent two vans to cart the dogs away, and officials would probably have to appeal to other animal welfare facilities to house them, McDevitt said.
Two people were taken into custody following an alleged dispute with a state police officer assisting the group, Trooper Corey Monthei said.
Case Updates| It seems that Wolf is taking his show to a new venue. His house is for sale and McDevitt said Wolf had purchased a home in South Carolina. The SPCA has notified authorities in South Carolina of Wolf's and two associates' convictions on animal cruelty charges. | Source: Daily Local News - Dec 21, 2006
Update posted on Dec 21, 2006 - 10:58AM |
The Chester County District Attorney's Office will petition the county court by week's end to find convicted dog breeder Michael Wolf and two others in violation of parole, an official said yesterday.
Assistant District Attorney Lorraine Finnegan said she learned Tuesday that humane officers conducting a surprise visit had turned up animals at Wolf's now-closed kennel in Lower Oxford, in southern Chester County.
Under a plea agreement, it is illegal for Wolf to own animals.
Wolf was not at home at the time, Finnegan said. Inspectors found two kittens, a cat, and dog-food bowls and feces that suggested that dogs had been there recently, said Chester County SPCA spokesman Chuck McDevitt.
The kittens, which were in good condition, were taken by humane officers to the SPCA, McDevitt said. The adult cat darted out an open door and couldn't be found.
In February, humane officers alerted by a tipster to foul conditions there raided the Wolf kennel on Old Baltimore Pike and seized 337 pets, mostly small-breed dogs. The animals were sick and standing in their own waste.
Finnegan charged Wolf, 65, and kennel managers Gordon Trottier, 42, and Margaret Jean Hills, 60, with multiple counts of animal abuse, alleging they had failed to provide proper food, water and medical care.
On June 19, the three pleaded guilty and were sentenced by Chester County Court Judge Edward Griffith to probation and hefty fines. As part of the plea agreement, all three were barred from owning or keeping animals for 15 years.
The 337 pets confiscated from the kennel received medical treatment from SPCA staff. Though some had to be euthanized, most were placed in new homes in late June. | Source: Philadelphia Inquirer - Dec. 14, 2006
Update posted on Dec 14, 2006 - 6:20PM |
A deal has been reached after three people charged with running an illegal kennel in Chester County appealed a judge's ruling. It was back in April 2006 that a different judge found Michael Wolf, Gordon Trottier and Margaret Hill guilty of animal cruelty charges. Some 300 animals were seized during a raid at the Lower Oxford Township kennel back in February 2006.
Details of the agreement are not being made available. | Source: WFMZ News - June 19, 2006
Update posted on Jun 29, 2006 - 10:17PM |
Many of the dogs seized in an animal cruelty case in Chester County will go up for adoption Thursday morning at the county SPCA.
More than three hundred dogs were taken from breeder Michael Wolf during a raid by humane officers in February. Wolf pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges last week and now some of those dogs will be headed to new homes.
SPCA Spokesman Chuck McDevitt says some of the dogs have issues that will need to be addressed by the new owners:
"Those include house-breaking issues. Many of the animals have not walked on a leash previously. They grew up in kennels basically, so there are some socialization issues as well as medical issues."
But he says the dogs should make great pets with a little love and some training. Up for adoption Thursday will be 65 cavalier King Charles spaniels and 25 papillons. | Source: KYW Newsradio - June 28, 2006
Update posted on Jun 28, 2006 - 2:43PM |
Michael Wolf's days as a dog fancier and breeder appear to be over. The Oxford man pleaded guilty June 19, 2006 to 60 counts of animal cruelty in Chester County Court, a move that ended his appeal of an earlier lower court verdict.
Under the plea agreement, ratified by Judge Edward Griffith after all-day negotiations, Wolf will be placed under 15 years of non-reporting probation. During that time, Wolf is banned from contact with animals. In addition, he must pay fines of $6,300 and restitution totaling $122,157 to the Chester County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for housing and treating the hundreds of pets seized at his compound. Wolf, 65, had been a nationally known breeder of champion show dogs at his Mike-Mar kennels. But in April 2006, Wolf and two others were convicted in Chester County District Court on charges of failing to provide clean living conditions for 333 dogs, three cats and two birds at his illegal kennel in Lower Oxford Township.
All three defendants appealed the guilty verdicts before accepting the resolution to their cases. Judge Griffith said he was reluctantly accepting the plea agreement because it included repayment to the SPCA and "also, because these dogs will immediately be released for adoption." Since the Wolf case broke, Gov. Rendell has vowed to tighten regulations and make changes at the state's Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, which licenses and inspects Pennsylvania's 2,400 kennels.
In an interview outside the courthouse in West Chester, Wolf said: "It's sad that it has to end this way." But prosecutor Lorraine Finnegan said: "I'm happy the animals are going to go home. I'm hoping that every one of these puppies can now be treated royally, compared to where they've been. "They're all really beautiful animals, and they're going to require a lot of spoiling."
The other two defendants, caretakers at the Wolf compound on Baltimore Pike, also pleaded guilty to 60 counts of animal cruelty. Gordon Trottier, 42, and Margaret Jean Hills, 61, will each serve 15 years of non-reporting probation. They will pay fines and restitution, and also are banned from owning animals for 15 years. The compound where Wolf lives is to be checked regularly by humane officers to make sure no animals are living there.
Adoption of the dogs will proceed once their medical condition is checked and prospective owners and their homes are screened, said Chuck McDevitt, spokesman for the Chester County SPCA, where many of the dogs are being housed. He said information about the adoption process would be posted soon on the shelter's Web site, ccspca.org. Meanwhile, the dogs - English bulldogs, cavalier King Charles spaniels, havanese, and papillons - are in shelters throughout Pennsylvania, where they are being treated for skin, ear, eye and respiratory ailments linked to the dirty living conditions at the kennel. McDevitt said that 27 puppies had been born since February 2006. But at the same time, 54 sick dogs have died or were euthanized at the recommendation of veterinarians, he said, bringing the current dog population to 306. The care of the animals and legal bills have put a "huge" strain on the West Goshen-based facility, McDevitt said. The SPCA has raised more than $120,000 but spent $160,000 on veterinarian bills and legal fees to date. | Source: Philadelphia Inquirer - June 20, 2006
Update posted on Jun 21, 2006 - 8:20PM |
An appeal has been filed in the Lower Oxford animal cruelty case, putting an end to any hope that the 333 dogs that were confiscated due to unsanitary conditions will be put up for adoption quickly.
In fact, they could be looking at years of living in cages at the Chester County SPCA and other rescue organizations while the case is appealed through the layers of the criminal justice system.
"We expected they were going to appeal. Unfortunately, it leaves the animals in a very difficult place," said Chuck McDevitt, spokesman for the SPCA. "They could have appealed and said go ahead and place the animals in homes."
It's been almost four months since 333 dogs, three cats and two birds were removed from a kennel owned by Michael Wolf in Lower Oxford where they were living in filthy conditions.
Many of the seized animals were suffering from skin, ear and eye infections. Some had broken bones or malformed limbs -- evidence of previous injuries that had not received medical attention.
During the two-day hearing before Magisterial District Judge Harry W. Farmer Jr. in April, witnesses testified of conditions they found in three houses on the site in the 1700 block of Baltimore Pike.
Amid an overpowering stench, animals roamed on feces-strewn floors or were housed in stacked cages.
Farmer, who issued his decision on April 28, gave permanent custody of the animals to the SPCA.
The judge fined Wolf more than $118,000 and he was convicted of 337 counts of cruelty to animals, one count of operating a kennel without a license, 200 counts of possessing an unlicensed dog and other related charges. He is also prohibited from owning an animal for 83 years.
Margaret Hills, a caretaker at the kennel, was fined more than $83,000, and convicted of 269 counts of animal cruelty. She may not own an animal for 66 years.
Gordon Trottier, who raised papillons at the kennel, was fined more than $25,000 and found guilty of 65 counts of animal cruelty. He is prohibited from owning any animals for 16 years.
An appeal of the decision was filed May 11 with the Chester County Court of Common Pleas.
"We think the judge made mistakes," said Eric Coates, Wolf's attorney.
It could take from two to six months for a trial in the Court of Common Pleas, said court personnel. Depending on the outcome, the case could theoretically be appealed to state Superior Court and the state Supreme Court, a process that typically entails years.
During this time, the animals are in legal limbo and the SPCA and other animal rescue organizations that are caring for the animals must continue their upkeep.
McDevitt said the SPCA is currently caring for about 180 of the animals and the cost to date including legal fees is $160,000. The figure does not include how much it is costing other animal rescue organizations that are caring for the remaining 153 animals.
"It's a tremendous strain on our staff and resources," said McDevitt, particularly at this time of year when the shelter gets a lot of cat and kitten surrenders.
Spring and summer is the natural breeding time for cats and the animal population at the shelter swells.
Asked whether the resources of the SPCA could be stretched so thin that they may consider striking a deal with Wolf, McDevitt said, "I don't know. I guess that could be a possibility."
Wolf had made an offer before the case went to court but "it was not even close," said McDevitt. | Source: Daily Local News - June 6, 2006
Update posted on Jun 7, 2006 - 10:10PM |
The caretakers of more than 300 dogs, cats and birds seized by animal-control officers earlier this year have been found guilty on all counts by an Oxford, Pa., judge.
In a ruling released today, Magisterial District Judge Harry W. Farmer Jr. ordered about $300,000 in fines for Michael Wolf, Margaret Hills and Gordon Trottier, and prohibited the three from owning or caring for animals for years.
The judge did not order jail time, which prosecutors had requested, but did award custody of more than 330 animals -- mostly dogs, but also cats and birds -- to the Chester County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. | Source: Delaware Online - April 28, 2006
Update posted on Apr 28, 2006 - 12:20PM |
A Chester County prosecutor asked that three defendants be jailed and forced to give up more than 300 pets seized from them in a high-profile animal-abuse case in southeastern Pennsylvania.
In her closing arguments Friday in district court, Lorraine Finnegan, an assistant Chester County district attorney, also asked Judge Harry Farmer to force Michael Wolf, Gordon Trottier and Margaret Hills to forfeit the animals -- mostly dogs -- seized from their kennels in February.
"These animals can't speak for themselves," Finnegan said. "These animals need to be protected by the law."
Wolf, known on the professional dog show circuit, faces 337 counts of animal cruelty, as well 200 tickets for not having dogs licensed and 100 more for failing to inoculate the dogs against rabies. He's also accused of operating a kennel without a license and of making false statements.
Defense attorneys urged Farmer to dismiss or reduce the charges, saying prosecutors failed to link each defendant to the corresponding animals they're accused of abusing or failing to license or vaccinate.
Trottier faces 65 counts of cruelty, and Hills 269 counts. Trottier also faces 50 citations for lacking dog licenses and 50 more for lacking rabies inoculations.
Friday's proceeding saw testimony from more prosecution witnesses who further detailed the squalor they saw inside two houses and a kennel in the Oxford area.
Michele Beswick, an officer with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, described how pungent fumes from feces and urine burned her eyes and throat, how she slipped twice on feces, and how Wolf, sitting on a couch, apologized.
The defendants declined to comment after the hearing. But during a brief pause, Wolf took exception to the testimony, saying it was natural for the buildings to smell bad with so many animals present.
And he contended that SPCA officers caused some of the mess. "They trashed my kennel," he said.
Friday's proceeding was a continuation of a hearing -- effectively a bench trial -- on the offenses, which are about as serious as traffic tickets. One count of cruelty to animals carries a $50 to $750 fine and/or up to 90 days in jail.
Finnegan estimated the case has cost the Chester County SPCA $256,000. That figure includes estimated boarding fees, SPCA spokesman Chuck McDevitt said.
The SPCA has footed nearly $120,000 in out-of-pocket expenses in the case, but also generated about $120,000 in donations because of its publicized troubles in housing and caring for the dogs, McDevitt said.
Farmer said he could determine the defendants' guilt or innocence and any sentences by Wednesday. If the judge approves forfeiture of the animals, they could be put up for adoption. Defense attorneys could appeal Farmer's ruling in the court of common pleas. | Source: Delware Online - April 22, 2006
Update posted on Apr 27, 2006 - 12:14AM |
The hearing in the animal cruelty case brought by the SPCA against three Lower Oxford residents concluded on Friday, but Magisterial District Judge Harry Farmer Jr. said he wouldn't issue his ruling until next Friday, April 28.
It was the second day of testimony, in which more humane officers from the Chester County SPCA and Delaware County SPCA reported on the conditions they found at the kennel when it was raided Oct. 10.
The Chester County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals confiscated 333 dogs, three cats and two birds that were living amid allegedly filthy conditions at a kennel operated by Michael Wolf.
Witnesses testified April 11 and on Friday of finding the animals living in cages and roaming at large in three buildings that were littered with feces and animal waste. Humane officers said that the odor from the kennel was so overwhelming that it was difficult to breathe.
Veterinarians who treated the dogs after they were removed testified that the dogs were afflicted with skin, ear, and eye conditions, and intestinal maladies as a result of living in the allegedly unsanitary conditions. Some dogs died after being removed. About 30 animals were taken to vets for emergency care the day of the raid.
Wolf has been charged with 337 counts of animal cruelty for unsanitary conditions, 200 citations for having unlicensed dogs and 100 citations for dogs without a current rabies vaccination. Wolf, who at one time owned and handled prize-winning show dogs, lost his kennel license in 2002.
Two other individuals, Gordon Trottier and Margaret Hills, who were also living in the three-building compound in the 1700 block of Baltimore Pike, were also charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty for alleged unsanitary conditions.
Wolf, Trottier and Hills were represented by three attorneys -- Eric Coates, Charles Iannuzzi and John Alice.
Following the hearing, Coates said that the commonwealth hadn't proved every element of every charge.
Wolf received 200 citations for having unlicensed dogs and 100 citations for unvaccinated dogs, but the commonwealth didn't show which dogs were unlicensed or unvaccinated, Coates said.
Moreover, their basis for the cruelty charge was uncleanliness, Coates said. "Our argument is if the uncleanliness was proven, it wasn't proven to show it was an intentional act that would lead the defendants to know that it would result in harm to the animal," said Coates.
Hills is a caretaker at the kennel and her attorney asked that charges against her be dropped.
"They charged her because she's a caretaker -- because they saw her cleaning the floor," Alice said.
Witnesses testified that Trottier resisted the officials' attempts to seize about 65 Papillon dogs that lived in one of the buildings, and told the humane officers that they were his dogs. The state said that Trottier was selling Papillons on two Web sites.
If convicted of the animal cruelty charges, the defendants could be facing a fine of not less than $50 and or more than $750, imprisonment for no more than 90 days or both punishments on each count.
Assistant Chester County District Attorney Lori Finnegan asked Farmer to send Wolf and Trottier to jail.
"They need to go to jail.We need to send a message of incarceration, even if only one day for one dog or even one 90-day sentence," Finnegan said. "Each animal was at risk because of the filth they were living in," she said.
Finnegan also asked that the dogs be forfeited to the SPCA. The humane society is caring for about 100 of the animals and the rest are at other rescue agencies in the area. None of the dogs can be put up for adoption until the case is settled.
If convicted, Wolf, Trottier and Hills would also be responsible for SPCA costs in relation to caring for the animals. A preliminary figure of $254,000 was provided to the judge, but SPCA officials said that not all the humane societies that were caring for the dogs had submitted their bills. | Source: dailylocal.com - April 22, 2006
Update posted on Apr 22, 2006 - 5:50PM |
A district court trial for a Chester County man facing 337 charges of animal cruelty became a full-fledged courtroom drama with videotapes of the allegedly mistreated dogs.
Michael Wolf, 65, of Oxford, was charged in February 2006 after his property was raided by county humane officers, one of whom testified yesterday she was "overwhelmed" by the stench.
"I had to retreat three times to get myself composed," animal warden Maureen D. Siddons stated.
From the 1960s through the '80s, Wolf was a nationally known breeder of champion show dogs.
At issue now is whether Wolf and two other defendants are guilty of cruelty - keeping the animals in unclean conditions, which violates state law. They are summary charges. A ruling is expected April 21, when the hearing continues.
Chester County District Court Judge Harry W. Farmer is hearing the case.
Wolf and codefendant Gordon Trottier, 42, also of Oxford, were also charged with operating an unlicensed kennel - Mike-Mar Cavaliers - that an SPCA official called a "puppy mill."
Margaret Jean Hills, who has lived with Wolf at the compound for a number of years, has also been charged in the case.
All the defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Siddons was one of a half-dozen prosecution witnesses called by Assistant District Attorney Lorraine Finnegan.
The defendants' three attorneys tried to pick apart Finnegan's case by showing that other factors, including old age, could have been responsible for the animals' poor health.
Humane Officer Cheryl Shaw presented a video of one kennel building that showed small dogs housed five to a cage. In some instances, the cages were stacked three rows high. Feces littered the floors and cages, and trash overflowed from receptacles.
Siddons said that when she arrived to inspect the compound on Feb. 8, Gordon and Hills were "furiously trying to clean."
Wolf is represented by John Alice of Philadelphia; Hills by Eric Coates of Oxford; and Trottier by Charles Ianuzzi of Woodbury.
In an interview after the charges were filed, Wolf denied mistreating the dogs, insisting he fed them well with meat and cottage cheese. "I have four different vets," he said.
"I'd get up in the morning and go to work on my dogs. I'm lost right now. I'm devastated," he said in March at his fenced-off kennel compound. "All my years of devotion and love. It's horrible. It makes me sad at this point in my life I have to be in this position."
Since the Wolf case broke, Gov. Rendell has announced a new effort to crack down on illegal kennels, or "puppy mills." Wolf's operation was closed in 2002 but later reopened without state regulators' knowledge.
Earlier this year, the state Department of Agriculture said it had issued operating licenses to 2,446 kennels in 2004. Rendell said he would make administrative changes at the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, and would push for legislation to improve animal-welfare laws. | Source: Philly.com - April 12, 2006
Update posted on Apr 15, 2006 - 2:46AM |
A preliminary hearing in a Chester County animal cruelty case got underway Tuesday where a breeder is charged with abusing hundreds of dogs.
The judge rejected the defense's request to throw out police search warrants. Some witnesses took the stand by this afternoon testifying against Michael Wolf. He ran Mike-Mar Kennel in Oxford.
The SPCA claims Wolf kept animals in unsanitary conditions.
Action News was there as Wolf, along with partners Margaret Hill and Gordon Trottier, came out of court today. None would comment.
The hearing will continue next week. | Source: WPVI - April 11, 2006
Update posted on Apr 11, 2006 - 5:50PM |
| The Chester County SPCA asks that any donations to cover treatment and care expenses be sent to the Chester County SPCA, 1212 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, PA 19380. | Source: Daily Local News - February 13, 2006
Update posted on Mar 26, 2006 - 9:41AM |
In his heyday, Michael Wolf was a nationally known breeder of champion show dogs. China Dragon, his small blond Pekingese, won 29 best-in-show titles in the 1980s. Scores of other winners came from Wolf's Mike-Mar kennels in Chester County. But after decades of catering to wealthy dog fanciers, Wolf, 65, now stands accused of mistreating 337 dogs by allowing them to live amid accumulated waste and filth. How Wolf fell from renowned breeder of champions to accused animal abuser has emerged in part from his own words, which provide a rare glimpse into the mind of a man for whom animals had become a family - but also the object of neglect.. "I love dogs, and they've been a great part of my life," Wolf said. "I kept dogs alive after I should. They wagged their tails, they ate. I'm old; are you going to put me to sleep?"
The Chester County SPCA seized the dogs on Feb. 10, 2006. They're staying at shelters all over Pennsylvania until 639 citations against Wolf are resolved. Many of the dogs have lice, mange, and infected eyes and ears. A few have pneumonia and parvovirus, an intestinal ailment. Most will need extended medical care, SPCA spokesman Chuck McDevitt said. Nevertheless, Wolf denies he mistreated the dogs, insisting he fed them well on meat and cottage cheese. "I have four different vets," he said. Wolf now feels deprived without his dogs. "I'd get up in the morning and go to work on my dogs. I'm lost right now. I'm devastated," he said at his fenced-off kennel compound in Oxford. "All my years of devotion and love. It's horrible. It makes me sad at this point in my life I have to be in this position."
One hint of his future problems was in a 1983 copy of the now-defunct magazine Kennel Review. Even when Wolf was successfully breeding, training and showing dogs, he had trouble letting them go. "My kennel is past 100 dogs now, because I'm not very sensible. I have a lot of old friends in the kennel. They've given me a lot of joy as show dogs and breeding, so I keep them," Wolf told his interviewer. That wasn't what others did, he acknowledged. "A lot of people discipline themselves and place their bitches at five years old, and I think that's a great idea, but it's very hard for me to do."
Court records filed last month detail the consequences: dogs living in their own waste in rusty cages, others running loose on waste-strewn floors, a stench of urine permeating the compound, dogs with untended skin conditions and eye problems. Humane officers charged Wolf with operating an unlicensed kennel, maintaining filthy conditions, lying to a Pennsylvania dog warden, and failing to license or vaccinate his dogs. If convicted of the summary offenses, Wolf could face a fine and jail time. Wolf has entered a plea of not guilty, his attorney, Eric Coates, said. A hearing is set for 9 a.m. April 11, 2006 in District Court.
"Michael loves his dogs," Coates said. "He'd go overboard to treat them as pets. The ones that needed vet treatment, he was tending to. It was not out of control." It didn't seem that way to Crystal Messaros, whose house and backyard pool overlook Wolf's compound. "For the past three years, we have not been able to sit at the pool in the evening because of the smell - the awful smell," she said. "Mike seemed like he wanted to cooperate," Messaros said. "I really believe because he lives in the situation, he doesn't recognize the smell." Messaros complained to Lower Oxford Township officials. Township Secretary Ruth Libby said: "We investigated, we approached the owner, and we thought the problem was taken care of." Margery A. Shriver, 80, the only Wolf patron still alive, co-owned champion pugs with Wolf, traveled to shows with him, and visited the kennel starting in the 1970s.
Shriver attributed part of Wolf's decline to poor health: "He struggled with his weight; he had to watch it very carefully. About a year or so ago, he told me he had diabetes." Wolf said he also suffers from asthma and high blood pressure. Wolf retired to his compound to breed and sell puppies, Shriver said. The more Wolf bred, the less able he was to care for his dogs and property, she said. At the same time, Wolf added to his family. In the 1990s, acting as a single father, Wolf adopted two boys, Chad and Michael Jr., now in their early teens. "I think his health problems and raising those boys have derailed him quite a bit," Shriver said.
In May 2002, a state dog warden cited Wolf with two counts of failure to keep a kennel in a sanitary and humane condition.
He pleaded guilty to the summary offenses and paid an $87.50 fine, court records show. The state revoked his kennel license.
"He was unable to meet compliance standards, so he opted to go out of business at our urging," said Rick Burd, enforcement director of the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. "We didn't realize he was back operating." Burd said the bureau received no complaints after May 22, 2002, that would have led it to reinspect the compound. Then, in 2004, the American Kennel Club suspended Wolf's puppy-registration privileges for six months and fined him $500 for lying about the parents of two litters.
AKC registration certifies a puppy as purebred. Without AKC "papers," Wolf couldn't prove his puppies' bloodlines or enter his dogs in AKC shows. Unaware that Wolf had no kennel license, the AKC kept registering his litters - 94 of them from 2002 until fall 2004.
But that didn't raise an alarm because a May 2004 AKC inspection listed Wolf as having only 45 dogs and eight puppies - not hundreds - and no one complained, said Daisy Okas, a club vice president. Wolf knew he had too many dogs. "I was going to keep the ones I loved. I didn't have a chance to place the others, and I didn't have the heart to put them to sleep because they're old friends," he said. Most of the dogs weren't housebroken and so were hard to place, Wolf said. He was also reluctant to give the small toy dogs to families with children. "If you could see the people that want some of these dogs, you wouldn't give dogs to them. These are little dogs. They need care," Wolf said.
In the 1980s Michael Wolf was an expert breeder of show dogs. Now he faces animal cruelty charges. These signs of trouble at his Chester County kennel are on record. In May 2002 Wolf was cited for failure to keep a kennel in sanitary and humane condition. The state revoked his kennel license. Starting about 2003, a neighbor complained about the smell from the kennel. Township officials say they thought the problem was resolved. In May 2004 the American Kennel Club concluded Wolf had only 45 dogs and eight puppies - not hundreds. In October 2004 Wolf's puppy-registration privileges were suspended for six months and the AKC fined him $500 for lying about the puppies' parentage.
In February 2006, the SPCA seized 337 dogs and filed animal cruelty charges against Wolf. | Source: Philly News - March 20, 2006
Update posted on Mar 22, 2006 - 4:41PM |
| A third person is now facing animal cruelty charges after a kennel raid in Chester County. Officials say Margaret Hills is facing 269 counts of animal cruelty. The Chester County SPCA says Hills was a kennel worker at the Lower Oxford Township facility. | Source: WFMZ News - March 7, 2006
Update posted on Mar 12, 2006 - 10:26AM |
Humane officers filed 402 cruelty charges on February 15, 2006 against two operators of a Chester County dog-breeding kennel for allegedly keeping 337 dogs in unsanitary conditions. The charges were filed on the same day that the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, part of the Department of Agriculture, charged the two men with operating an unlicensed kennel.
Michael Wolf, 65, and Gordon Trottier, 42, both of Oxford, were accused in district court of illegally running a "puppy mill" called Mike-Mar Cavaliers in the 1700 block of Old Baltimore Pike, an SPCA official said. Chuck McDevitt, spokesman for the Chester County SPCA, said the agency had not handled a case involving so many animals since its inception in 1929. The SPCA chapter filed the criminal charges.
Wolf, the kennel owner, raised Cavalier King Charles spaniels and English bulldogs for sale through an Internet site called pets4you.com, animal authorities said. Trottier specialized in papillons, toy dogs with ears shaped like butterflies. Humane officers, acting on a tip from a customer at the kennel, conducted a raid Friday and said they found dogs stacked in crates and standing in their own waste. Others were sick or had untreated broken bones, McDevitt said. "One had no fur, was covered with mange, and was trembling," McDevitt said. "He's afraid. When you see that, you want to pick the dog up and let it know, it's OK. A few minutes later, you're feeling anger that a living, breathing being was uncared for." Of the cruelty charges, Wolf was cited with 337 counts, Trottier 65. They are summary offenses, similar to a traffic ticket, although penalties can include a fine and forfeiting the animals.
Trottier become combative with state police when humane officers tried to seize the dogs, police said. He was charged with resisting arrest and thwarting police officers. He was released on $7,500 bail.
Animal handlers removed 337 dogs, four cats, and a parrot from the kennel. All were being evaluated at the Chester County SPCA.
Those that needed medical care were taken to local veterinarians, McDevitt said. 137 dogs have been handed over to other shelters throughout the region, leaving the Chester County SPCA with 200 dogs. No dogs were euthanized, McDevitt said. The animals will remain in SPCA custody until the cases against Wolf and Trottier are decided. | Source: Philadelphia Inquirer - February 16, 2006
Update posted on Feb 26, 2006 - 9:59AM |
The owner of a Chester County kennel is facing animal cruelty charges after hundreds of dogs were removed from the facility. The court case may delay any reunion between the dogs and their owners. If only the purebred dogs could talk about what happened to them before they were confiscated by the Chester County SPCA in a raid at the Mike-Mar Kennel in Oxford, Pennsylvania last week.
A vet volunteered to help check out 335 expensive and often sought out purebreds, dogs like one with rotting teeth and another with a deformed foot. Conditions were so bad, kennel owner Michael Wolf was charged with 337 counts of cruelty to animals Wednesday. A woman at the Oxford Kennel told Action News Wolf is not talking and neither is Gordon Trottier, another operator charged with neglect today.
There are good pets that the SPCA can't adopt out because Wolf's attorney tells Action News his client plans to put up a fight. While that happens, the SPCA is depending on donations to care for all the confiscated dogs. One of Wolf's customers left a bulldog in Wolf's care for breeding, as did other purebred owners. The dog will have to wait for the case to be resolved, something the SPCA says could take months, or even years. The dogs are evidence in the case. | Source: 6ABC News - February 15, 2006
Update posted on Feb 25, 2006 - 12:53PM |
The owner of the run-down puppy mill, Michael Wolf, 65, is facing animal-cruelty charges but most likely won't spend any time in jail, if charged, because the offense is not a felony, authorities said.
However, Wolf's kennel license was revoked two years ago, authorities said, possibly making his illegal operation serious enough to warrant jail time if he's convicted.
"We will ask the public to adopt if [Wolf] gives us ownership" of the puppies," McDevitt said.
But if Wolf refuses to hand over the pups to the county, McDevitt said, "we will go to court."
The SPCA learned of the messy mill on Monday, after a woman reported that she had gone to the kennel to buy a dog and saw that it was unsanitary and that the dogs looked sick, McDevitt said.
Yesterday, SPCA workers went to the house with a warrant and rescued the puppies from the squalor.
During the raid, McDevitt said one of the kennel workers had attacked a state trooper who had accompanied the rescue workers. Because of the scuffle, about 10 trooper cars raced to the kennel, creating an unusual scene in the quiet suburban neighborhood.
No one was seriously hurt, authorities said, and it was unclear last night if the allegedly combative kennel worker had been charged.
After the news of the rescue aired on the evening news, McDevitt said his office received more than 65 calls from people wanting to donate blankets, food and cash.
"We are bursting at the seams," McDevitt said about not having enough manpower or funds to care for the 300 puppies.
McDevitt urged any potential donors to contribute money towards the puppies' veterinary bills and towards the possible legal fees if Wolf refuses to give up ownership of the pups.
The Chester County SPCA can be reached at 610-692-6113. | Source: Philly News - Feb 11, 2006
Update posted on Feb 11, 2006 - 9:15AM |
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