Puppy mill - 19 Labrador retrievers Caddo Mills, TX (US) Date: Jan 5, 2005 Disposition: Not Charged Person of Interest: Sharon Miller

Case ID: 3643 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (non pit-bull), cat View more cases in TX (US) Login to Watch this Case

In a hearing at the Hunt County Courthouse last week, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or SPCA, of Texas was awarded custody of 19 Labrador retrievers, one cat and one goat taken from a residence in Caddo Mills, in Hunt County following reports of neglect.

Hunt County Sheriff's Deputy John L. Horn, who visited the property on three occasions trying to serve an eviction notice to Doris Gibbs, reported the dogs' conditions to the SPCA.

The dogs were owned by Gibbs' daughter, Sharon Miller.

Horn said that his first couple of visits to the property he didn't notice anything that would cause alarm. "The trigger mechanism was the dogs being kept in the truck," Horn said. "Had one not barked it wouldn't have gotten my attention at all."

The deputy heard barking sounds coming from a hunting trailer, where an additional seven dogs were discovered living in dark, cramped compartments and covered in their own waste.

According to Horn no charges have been brought up against Miller. He said that it is possible that she was running a puppy mill.

"You can't say that she was running a puppy mill," Horn said. "But if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it probably is a duck."

SPCA investigator Art Mu�oz visited the site on Wednesday, Jan. 5 and obtained a warrant on Jan. 7 to remove the animals.

Judge Kenneth Peters also awarded restitution of $1,260 to the SPCA of Texas, to be paid within 30 days. The dogs and cat were spayed or neutered prior to being made available for adoption.

The majority of the dogs were living in small, rusty outdoor pens where they were forced to stand or lie in one to two inches of mud and feces and had no food or clean water.

Even though the animals lived in terrible conditions, Anita Edson, spokesperson for the SPCA said they all had a good temperament.

The SPCA held adoptions for the rescued animals over the weekend and all but four animals remain.

"We like to see them adopted quickly," said Edson. "So we can put other animals in that space."

The SPCA still has one cat, a black and white female, American shorthair, and three labs available. Abby, a 2-year-old black lab, Remy, a 6-year-old chocolate lab and Jasper, a 5-year-old black lab will be available for adoption at the SPCA's McKinney shelter, 8411 Farm-to-Market 720, in McKinney.

References

McKinney Messenger - Jan 20, 2005

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