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Case #14158 Rating: 2.7 out of 5
Puppy mill - 182 dogs seized
Eatonton, GA (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Jul 17, 2008
County: Putnam
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 5 files available
Defendant/Suspect: Barry Davis
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A central Georgia man is facing animal cruelty charges after nearly two hundred dogs were removed from his breeding mill. Putnam County Sheriff investigators say it's the worst case of animal neglect they have ever seen.
From the gravel road in front of Barry Davis' small farmhouse on Reid Drive in rural Putnam County, you would never know he was running a puppy mill filled with 182 dogs. But the pictures taken by the Putnam County Sheriff Department show a puppy mill overflowing with dogs. As many as a half dozen dogs were kept in a rabbit cage.
"There was no way that all of those animals could be taken care of by one individual," said Putnam County Sheriff Department Detective Sergeant Tracey Bowen.
One hundred eighty-two dogs were removed from the property. Thirty of them needed immediate care. Five of those were taken to a veterinarian.
"The veterinarian told me that probably most of those animals will have to be euthanized because they were in such a deplorable state," said Sheriff Howard Sills.
The sheriff department went to the property after one of Barry Davis' neighbors complained the barking coming from the house was too much. The sheriff department came out to the house on Tuesday night and found the kennels in deplorable conditions. Sheriff Sills says when they went back the next morning it was obvious that someone tried to "clean up the place". There was very little they could do to clean up the conditions of some of the dogs.
Some of the dogs had open sores that have not been treated, severe eye infections, ear infections and loss of hair. Davis bred pure bred Chihuahuas, Yorkies, Shi Tzus, Pugs and Poodles among other dogs.
It was hard for investigators to rescue the dogs.
"It hurt for us to even pick these animals up yesterday to look at them and it breaks my heart to see people do this to animals," said Det. Sgt. Bowen.
Twenty-five of the dogs in the worst condition are being housed at the Putnam County Animal Control. The majority of the rest were taken by the Atlanta Humane Society.
Richard Rice, the Director of the Atlanta Humane Society said in a statement, "Many of these dogs have already tested positive for heartworm."
Rice said they will require special owners who are able to give them the ongoing treatment they need.
The purebreds will be available for adoption on July 22. They'll cost $220 each, unless they require special treatment.
Case UpdatesMore than a year after Putman County Sheriff's Deputies closed a puppy mill along Reid Drive, its owner-operator has been sentenced to jail time.
Barry Davis was sentenced Tuesday to one year in jail and nine years of probation on 12 counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals in connection with his July 2008 arrest.
According to Putnam Count Sheriff Howard Sills, Davis will serve the entire sentence in the Putman Count Jail. He is required to pay restitution of more than $4,000 to Putnam County for the care of more than 180 puppies, as well as court fines and fees. Once out of jail, he will be required to work 40 hours of community service.
Detectives, state Department of Agriculture specialists and a local veterinarian, showed up on Davis' property July 16, 2008, after complaints from neighbors about dogs barking. They found scores of animals sitting in stacked cages in a small building behind Davis' home.
PCSO Detective Tracey Bowen said more than 30 of the animals were in need of immediate medical care.
"The conditions of this place were horrible." Bowen said. The farther we go into the mess, the worse the animals conditions were. They were stacked up on top of each other in metal cages."
Davis told officials he purchased the dogs from a breeder in the Savannah area. Bowen said most of the puppies were not up-to-date on inoculation or rabies vaccinations and had heart worms.
Within two weeks, the puppies, including Chihuahuas, Yorkies, Shitzus, Pugs, and Poodles, brought into Putnam County Animal Control for evaluation were cleared and sent to local humane society groups to be adopted out. None of the animals were euthanized. However, two puppies died shortly after leaving - one of a congenital problem and the second from infection. | Source: Lake Oconee News - Sept 2, 2009
Update posted on Sep 2, 2009 - 9:28AM |
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