Animal Welfare Protesters Shot by BB guns at Aquarium and Pet Center in Santa Monica

Open letter from Activist Carole Sax about the importance of protesting pet stores

OPEN LETTER TO RESCUE PEOPLE

 

I get over 200 e-mails a day from various rescue people with dogs & cats who need rescue.  All you people that network these dogs & cats, JOIN US to protest these puppy stores! You have to know it's the only way to educate & inform the public where these puppies come from and about the pet-overpopulation problem we have in this country.  

The shelters, as you know, are killing animals by the hundreds daily. So bring your adoptables to the protest, bring literature because when we have a huge crowd, people listen & look. The store owners get nervous, which is a good thing.  Let them know they are committing fraud to the consumers when they say they hand pick their breeders. It's a lie and they know it. None of them have ever even been to see the breeders they use and when they say we use local breeders, WHAT A LAUGH!

 California is getting to be the worse puppy mill state in the country and the local mills aren't even inspected.  

Send out an alert to your e-mail lists and let's make these stores go humane. It works with numbers and a committment of only 2 hours a week is not much to ask for the voiceless.  Encourage people to adopt, not buy, and maybe, in our lifetime, we can see an end to these countless e-mails and the killing of beautiful adoptable pets.

We will be at Aquarium & Pet Center, 826 Wilshire Blvd. 8th & Wilshire SANTA MONICA, bring friends, dogs, kids, flyers, we have signs or make your own, let's make some noise.

Thanks

Carole Sax

Animal Welfare Groups Protest Aquarium & Pet Center in Santa Monica for selling puppy mill dogs

Anti-puppy mill protesters were shot at with an air rifle at Aquarium & Pet Center in Santa Monica on Saturday, October 10th. The Santa Monica Police are treating this case as an assualt with a deadly weapon, a felony. BB guns can be extremely dangerous and can kill if the bullets hit a vital area of the body.

There is a $5000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.

See full story  in WEHO NEWS here.

 Approximately thirty-five activists were holding a peaceful anti-puppy mill demonstration when violence erupted. Three animal welfare advocates were hit, including West Hollywood community organizer Ed Buck. There were minor injuries. Police arrived on the scene within minutes and retrieved several two millimeter brass bullets on the sidewalk where the protesters were shot.

This group of activists, who are members of several large animal welfare organizations, have been protesting stores in Los Angeles for two years. The Aquarium & Pet Center is supplied by commercial breeding facilities in the Midwest and also uses a local breeder in Southern California that houses its dogs in substandard conditions. 

Dogs in commercial breeding operations are sometimes called puppy mills, or puppy farms. Though they are often licensed by the USDA, they are considered inhumane by the animal protection movement. The minimum standards of care for USDA licensed facilities typically allow only enough room for a dog to stand up and turn around. The dogs are kept in cages for their entire breeding lives and are often exposed to the elements. Most dogs suffering in commercial breeding operations do not get veterinary care or socialization. They are often sick, injured, diseased and have malformations.  

After the shooting, an employee of the store was seen laughing at the animal welfare activists.

On Monday, a volunteer in Pennsylvania called the store, posing as a buyer and asked the owner what he planned to do about the protesters, to which he replied, "I'll shoot them all."

The verbal threat was immediately reported to the police, who have added this information to the investigation. Mr. Lee, the owner of Aquarium  & Pet Center, was visited by police detectives on Thursday. He denied making the threats. He also denied having anything to do with the shooting. 

 

"We will not be intimidated by violence nor by threats of further violence," said Carole Sax, volunteer coordinator for the Companion Animal Protection Society. "We will stand firm for these animals who have no voice but ours. This despicable behavior will only strengthen our resolve to end puppy mills period, " Ms. Sax continued.

"This is un-American, " said Carole Raphaelle Davis, the West Coast Director of the Companion Animal Protection Society. "We were boycotting a known puppy mill dealer and they decided to use violence against us for speaking the truth. We have a right to speak out against the cruel practices of the pet trade industry. It's called the first amendment. The public, which is routinely defrauded by pet stores, deserves to know what's really going on so that they can make better choices when bringing a companion animal into their lives. It is very un-American to resort to violence against an idea. We live in a democracy and if consumers knew the ugly truth behind the pretty storefront, they would run the other way."

"Furthermore," said Ms. Davis, "we ask that consumers give the $1000 or more that they would have spent on buying an animal in a pet store and give that money to a family in need. We are experiencing the worst economic crisis of our time and there are families who need to put food on the table. Give the money to the truly needy instead and save an animal's life at your local shelter. This is a new era of social responsibility and this is not a time to buy into cruelty. This is a time to roll up our sleeves to help the community by relieving our municipal shelters. There are five million pets killed in our nation's shelter system every year because there are not enough homes for them. This costs taxpayers $2 billion per year to house and euthanize all these unwanted animals. It makes sense, fiscally and morally, to adopt from a shelter. And for breed snobs, 25% of the dogs in the shelter system are purebred, adoptable dogs. "  

Since the shooting, an anti-animal welfare email circulated on a breeder meet-up Internet group. The e-mail states that the animal welfare advocates protesting Aqaurium & Pet Center might have staged the shooting in order to gain publicity. There is no evidence to support that and the investigation is on-going.

The email is copied below:

"I hope that no one on our side "deplores" this episode.  Sympathy is wasted on people who hate humanity so badly that their basis for their "animal welfare" and "animal protection" ideas is entirely in their hatred of humanity.  They pass around pamphlets instructing people how to firebomb cars, and one of their trainers in the art of firebombing cars, houses, and laboratories works high in the HSUS. Then they whine like little babies about BBs being shot at them.  I think it's funny.  Shooting BBs at them isn't an attack.  It's a little bit dangerous and someone can lose an eye, but it's ridicule.  The tiniest little thing gets thrown their way and they need clean pants.I've been over the reasons before why we're being beaten by a bunch of pants-wetters.  Most of us help them by being sympathetic to what they pretend is their cause, as if they have good hearts.  Ask Edyth London or Brian Cass or anyone else who has suffered at their hands.  We have to have a philosophy to stand on to be able to take away their toys.  We should be able to take the whole mess away from these pansies.  People have before. From now on let's call the Green party what it is.  It is the "Screw Humanity Because We Hate Ourselves and Everyone Else" party."  "I hope the police find the shooters so they can speak for themselves on their motivation," said Judie Mancuso, President of Social compassion in Legislation. "In a nutshell, I think the pet trade is fearful of the animal welfare community as we expose the way they treat their animals and the underground economy that goes along with the underground breeding. Once exposed the general public is on our side."

See the immediate aftermath of the shooting incident below:

See full story in Santa Monica Daily Press here

See KTLA's coverage of the story below:

Elite Animals Resorts to Sorcery to Repel Animal Rights Activists

Elite Animals, a pet store in West Hollywood, California, has endured nine consecutive weeks of protests by animal welfare activists. Neither side is budging but Elite Animals is showing signs of battle weariness. 

The Companion Animal Protection Society  (CAPS ) conducted an investigation  of Elite Animals' breeders which revealed footage and still photos of breeding dogs suffering in inhumane conditions. The dogs in the mill that supply Elite Animals are exposed to the elements, living in rusted wire cages and many of them are sick and injured. CAPS also has evidence of USDA inspection reports of repeated violations by several of Elite's suppliers  in the Midwest. 

In addition to selling dogs from puppy mills, Elite Animals also sells puppies under the age of six months from Russia. Importing puppies under the age of six months old for resale from overseas is a violation of the federal Farm Bill passed in 2008.

Animal advocates hope the protests will push the store to convert to a humane business model and that Elite Animals will begin to work with reputable rescue organizations, making their profits from supplies and services, not from selling animals raised in factory-like conditions.  Elite Animals' owners did make a visit to the Amanda Foundation in Beverly Hills several weeks ago but no formal agreement with that rescue organization or any other has been announced.  

Because the siege by protesters has deterred so many potential customers, two puppies, a Moscow Terrier and a Maltese have not found buyers and are outgrowing their cages inside the store. Activists are concerned that this long period of confinement in small glass enclosures with no socialization is detrimental to a dog's well being. To our knowledge, these dogs have never been taken out for a walk. Representatives from several local rescue organizations have offered to take the dogs and find them adoptive homes but they have been rebuffed. 

These two dogs are considered "easy placements" by rescue organizations. Loving and stable homes could be found within days if Elite Animals would agree to transfer ownership to a rescue organization. An ownership surrender document accompanied by an agreement to cease and desist from acquiring animals from commercial breeders would also move the negotiations forward and, most likely, would halt the protesting of the store.  

Last week, Elite Animals closed for five consecutive days with the two dogs inside the store, alarming animal welfare advocates. The City of West Hollywood and animal services intervened, calling the owners and imposing an emergency inspection. The dogs had food and water and the store was not cited for violations at that time.

There is nothing illegal about the store leaving a dog in a cage for 24 hours a day, as long as he has food and water. Animal welfare advocates believe that though this treatment is not illegal, it is inhumane. 

On July 11, week nine of the protest siege, a bizarre and culturally intriguing scene unfolded. 

Outside, animal rights protesters chanted, "Elite! Elite! The meanest on the street!" Inside, the owners of the store, who are middle-aged Russian women, were visibly unsettled. They seemed highly agitated. One of them brought a heavy, crystal ball, the size of a bowling ball, from the back of the store and perched it ceremoniously on an ornate gold pedestal at their front desk. 

Her face hidden behind long black hair, she placed a ghoulish-looking figurine next to the crystal ball. It looked like a scene from the movie "Rosemary's Baby." The figurine she was posing in front of the crystal ball looked demonic, with a long, black cloak--it looked like a child's evil action figure or a cult object used for black magic. Then, oddly, the woman with the long dark hair walked briskly to the back of the store and returned with a fistful of loose, ten-inch long black bird feathers. She then hovered over the crystal ball, muttering--possibly some kind of incantation, while she waved the black feathers back and forth over the satanic figurine. 

"They're actually putting a spell on us!" yelled one of the activists. "Quick! Spit three times!" said activist Kimmy-Sue, laughing. "I'm half gypsy," said Elizabeth, another protester.

This group of activists is highly experienced, having converted or shut down a large number of puppy mill fronts in the last two years. They have endured a barrage of insults and and have stood their ground against physical intimidation and harassment from store owners in the past. Sorcery is an unfamiliar form of bullying by dog dealers. 

If Elite's magical spells are effective, maybe they can teach us how to wave those magic black feathers over our local shelters so that an actual miracle can occur--a loving home for every homeless pet dying at the pound.

For animal activists, questions remain unanswered.

1. When will the store realize it has no alternative but to go humane?

2. When will they release the dogs suffering in their cages to a rescue organization?

3. When will they admit the truth that they have been lying to consumers about the fact that they are supplied by puppy mills?

4. Where did they get those large black feathers? Did the birds just GIVE them the feathers? 

Given where their dogs come from, the worst mills in the Midwest, it's doubtful they acquired their special incantation feathers humanely. 

 

                                                                       

                   

Michael Jackson Scrutinized by animal Protection Movement

Michael Jackson Did Not Love Animals

News Type: Event — Mon Jul 6, 2009 2:12 PM PDT

entertainment, animals, tigers, michael-jackson, zoo, animal-cruelty, thriller, elephants, monkey, animal-welfare, zoos, animal-abuse, amusement-park, king-of-pop, bubbles, neverland-ranch, exotic-pets, katherine-jackson, m-j

Jinky, Dog of a Hollywood Wife

Elephant cage at Michael Jackson's private zoo

Abandoned outdoor enclosure at Michael Jackson's private zoo

Giraffe cage at Michael Jackson's private zoo

July 3, 2009 ADMJ --Carole Raphaelle Davis

Michael Jackson did not love animals. He loved to collect them. He loved owning them like a sheik owns his harem.

As details emerge about the bizarre life of Michael Jackson, questions about the animals who were housed in his private zoo of exotic pets remain unanswered. Members of the animal welfare community wonder whether Jackson was truly an animal lover or merely a collector who abandoned his dozens of exotic pets, leaving them to be scattered, with no endowment, in different facilities around the country.

Recent photographs of Michael Jackson's private zoo have been released by TMZ.com. The photographs are of the emptied interior and the abandoned grounds of Jackson's Neverland Ranch north of Santa Barbara. The photographs of the zoo enclosures are particularly disturbing to some in the animal protection movement.

Jackson owned wild animals, including giraffes, elephants, tigers, crocodiles and monkeys and housed them in what appears to be caged conditions. Though the animals' enclosures might not have been illegal, they were inhumane. And though no animals currently reside there, their former home reveals much about how the animals lived.

Mr. Jackson bought the ranch in the late 1980s. There, he set up a zoo to house exotic pets. What happened to them when he left the ranch — and the United States — after his acquittal on charges that he molested a teenage cancer survivor in 2003?

There are numerous reports that the animals were sold at auction, that some went to sanctuaries, that some are being cruelly warehoused in Arizona, that caretakers were not paid after he left the property and that Michael Jackson was sued by his veterinarian for a six-figure unpaid bill for treatment of the Neverland animals.

Though the rooms inside the home look luxurious, the enclosures for his private collection of large, wild animals look woefully inadequate. The cages and outdoor enclosures appear not to meet the minimum standards of humane care that is required for the well-being of the animals living there.

The photo of the elephant cage tells the story of a grim existence.

"It's a very small space with a concrete floor which is detrimental to elephants' joints and feet," says Catherine Doyle, elephant specialist and Los Angeles director of campaigns for In Defense of Animals. "It looks like a concrete cell. It's no way to keep an elephant; there's no way that type of enclosure could ever meet their needs. It's a depressing, small, impoverished space."

"Elephants walk tens of miles a day and their home ranges measure hundreds of square miles," continued Catherine Doyle. "They have extremely complex social structures and they live in tightly knit family groups in which the females stay together for life. It's like looking at a prison cell looking at these pictures."

I spoke to undercover investigator Jack Stevens on July 4th. He is an elephant expert, having worked hands on with them both in the Circus and at an Elephant Sanctuary. " I can state categorically that the pictures of the enclosures I've seen at Michael Jacksons Neverland Ranch are grossly inadequate to house an elephant, " he said. "Unless the elephant was given long term access to vast acreage on other parts of the ranch where he/she could roam around unimpeded at his/her own leisure I would say that cage bordered on the inhumane."

There are thousands of pictures on the Internet of Neverland ranch and many on-line albums on photo sharing websites that have been uploaded by visitors to Michael Jackson's zoo. In every picture I could find, there are none where the animals are roaming.

It makes financial sense that the zoo keepers would keep potentially dangerous animals from having access to visitors. A zoo accident could have been costly. But given Michael Jackson's enormous wealth, the grounds could and should have been equiped like a sanctuary, where his exotic pets could have lived in a humane setting while on display. The Neverland grounds, even in their decayed and delapidated state, look like what they are: a children's amusement park which also had zoo animals in cages. The zoo area, was just that--a zoo, and as far as zoos go, not a very pleasant one for its captives.

"It reminds me of the pictures you see coming out of Guantanamo," said Jack Stevens. "Elephants are highly social, intelligent, sentient beings. To house a single elephant in a concrete cell is cruel. Let's not forget that the elephant who was confined in a tiny stall had his/her own family and friends and no doubt longed for them but was denied because of the selfishness of humans."

I spoke with Jane Garrison, an animal advocate and contributing author of "Elephants and Ethics" (Johns Hopkins Press). While she was running an international program to protect elephants ten years ago, she was so concerned about a paricular elephant at Michael Jackson's zoo, she contacted the Neverland veterinarian.

"I was horrified that this incredibly social animal was being housed alone and I contacted Michael Jackson's representative to get the elephant moved to a sanctuary, " said Ms. Garrison. "They live their entire lives with their mothers, their sisters, their aunts... so no amount of space could make up for this. Keeping a female elephant alone is actually the cruelest thing you can do to her."

"I tried to get them to retire that elephant and the vet wouldn't budge," continued Ms. Garrison. "They have job security by having an elephant there. Any vet who approves of a female elephant being alone certainly does not have the best interest of the animal at heart."

Ms. Garrison added that even the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums), which is regarded with disdain by the animal rights community for acrediting confinement of animals, is against the housing of a lone female elephant. "There is no way to humanely keep an elephant in captivity when you consider their physical and social needs," she said.

On July 1, CNN issued a report that featured Bubbles, the Chimpanzee Jackson brought on tour with him in the 80's. When Bubbles became "too difficult" (Bubbles bit a hole in Quincy Jone's daughter's hand) he was returned to the trainer who originally bought him from a facility in Texas that breeds chimps for research. The trainer handed Bubbles over to the Great Apes Sanctuary in Florida, where he is retired and thriving with other chimpanzees. As in the case of other Neverland animals, he was surrendered with no endowment for their care.

Fans of Michael Jackson insist he loved Bubbles but a more skeptical look at TMZ photos of Bubbles' former cage reveals that he lived in a zoo, not a sanctuary. He lived a solitary existence in a cage when he wasn't on display. Chimpanzees are social animals and thrive in a naturalistic environment with other chimpanzees. Bubbles was dressed like a toddler and treated like a living toy for Michael Jackson's pleasure. He is certainly happier now, climbing and enjoying the company of friends, not gawkers.

According to the London Standard, two of Michael Jackson's tigers did not find buyers when his zoo animals were auctioned. Tipi Hedren, who is the mother of actress Melanie Griffith, adopted the tigers after animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) broke the news of the deplorable conditions the animals were living under.

"They, as did 98% of the animals requiring sanctuary at the Shambala Preserve, came with no bank account or dowry," said Tipi Hedren. "As a sanctuary, that's what we do. We rescue exotic felines who have been born in the U.S. to be sold as pets or for commercial use. It is a grave human error to acquire a wild animal as a pet."

Certainly, the desire to own or have dominion over dangerous wild animals has psychological implications. Psychologist, author and animal advocate Jana Kohl told me she wanted to cry when she saw the pictures of Michael Jackon's zoo enclosures. Her opinion of the zoo includes the psychic suffering its owner.

"The physical and emotional abuse Joe Jackson inflicted upon his son, including objectifying Michael as if he were a possession, merely there for his own narcissistic needs, was sadly something Michael repeated himself," said Dr. Kohl. "He thoughtlessly acquired exotic living beings whose own needs were secondary to his insatiable child-like drive to collect and display as many prized possessions as he could, like the priceless objets d'art he bought by the truckloads. The animals were there for his amusement, and whether or not they suffered in cramped or unnatural conditions appeared to be something he was incapable of recognizing. If Michael had spent a fraction of his fortune in therapy, understanding and mourning his painful past, he would have likely made different and more conscious choices, including being able to empathize with creatures who have no voice, just as he had no voice as a child, other than the one he created for performing."

Michael Jackson might have professed to love animals but upon closer inspection, his relationship to them was less than loving. You don't sell your pets when you tire of them. Nor should you buy pets that you can't commit to for their lifetime. A responsible pet guardian makes arrangements for their care.

Michael Jackson used wild animals for his entertainment and as a lure to delight the children he wanted to surround himself with and then he abandoned them, both financially and emotionally.

Supposedly unable to care for his private zoo as a result of "financial troubles," Jackson continued his lavish spending right until the end, where he was leasing a California castle for $100,000 a month while his former animals, the ones lucky enough to live in sanctuaries, depend on donations from the public.

As the public waits to discover the specific contents of the Michael Jackson family trust, a private document that instructs how his assets are to be allocated, some of us in the animal protection movement hope that a few dollars will go towards the animals he abandoned. So far, the details released to the press are as follows: 40% to his mother. 40% to his children. The remaining 20% is to be distributed to undisclosed children's charities.

Nothing to animals.

Michael Jackson never visited Bubbles once he gave him away. Maybe John Branca, the executor of his estate, will throw him a banana.

Carole Raphaelle Davis is the author of "The Diary of Jinky, Dog of a Hollywood wife" and West Coast Director of The companion Animal Protection Society

Elite Animals Exposed for Selling Puppy Mill dogs on KTLA NEWS

"Elite Animals" in California Linked to Puppy Mills by International Press

                 Carole Raphaelle Davis of Companion Animal Protection Society at press conference in Los Angeles    

                              Photo from CAPS undercover investigation of Elite Animals, a California pet store

Pet Store Under Fire From Puppy Farm Campaigners

May 14, 2009 by K9 Magazine News Editor 

American pet store comes under fire from anti-puppy farm protestors: Elite Animals of West Hollywood has been besieged by protesters from the animal welfare movement for two weekends in a row. Animal rights activists claim Elite Animals is selling pet factory animals and defrauding consumers.

On May 12 there was an extraordinary meeting between Isabella Stroshnoy, the owner of Elite Animals and members of the animal protection movement at West Hollywood’s City Hall.

Carole Raphaelle Davis, West Coast Director of The Companion Animal Protection Society presented evidence of a puppy mill in Minnesota that supplies Elite Animals. A mediator provided by the City of West Hollywood oversaw the civil discussion. The organizations that participated were The Companion Animal Protection Society, The Animal Legal Defense Fund, In Defense of Animals, Best Friends Animal Society, The Amanda Foundation and Strangest Angels Rescue.

The evidence presented was from a CAPS investigation of a particularly cruel puppy mill in Melrose MN that supplies pet shops around the country. The evidence included graphic photographs of dogs suffering in runs and cages filled with urine and feces, subject to rusted wire flooring, injured with wounds and infections. The dogs had attempted to chew their way out of the wooden whelping boxes. Many of the dogs were exposed to the elements and water containers had a thick layer of slime (algae).

In addition to the gruesome photographs from the mill, evidence of repeated incidents of non-compliance from USDA inspection reports were presented and read aloud. Also disclosed were reports gathered by Pet Shop Puppies, an organization that collects consumer complaints about sick and dying dogs bought in pet stores around the nation. The reports presented at the meeting were linked exclusively to the mill that supplies Elite Animals. The consumer reports regarding dogs from the mill in MN stated dogs had congenital malformations, severe illnesses and some of the cases claimed that several dogs were so sick they had to be euthanized.

Pet Store owner Isabella Stroshnoy appeared shocked to discover that she was violating a federal law from the Farm Bill which was passed in 2008–a law forbidding the importation of live dogs into the United States from overseas if the dogs are under the age of six months. Elite Animals has repeatedly offered eight week-old puppies imported from Russia to CAPS undercover investigators posing as customers.

Elite Animals also lied to CAPS investigators, claiming the dogs they sell in the store were “raised in a house” and “not from a puppy mill.” The evidence proves that the dogs were raised in overcrowded, substandard and very harsh conditions that affect the health and well being of the animals.

The meeting ended with a verbal agreement that Elite Animals would cease and desist from buying dogs for the time being while they considered the idea of converting to a humane business model. In exchange for this temporary agreement, CAPS has offered to act in good faith and pull back the protesting of the store this coming weekend. Elite Animals must now provide CAPS and the Animal Legal Defense Fund with the entire list of breeders supplying the store for the ongoing investigation. This information should have been posted on the outside of the enclosures of the puppies in the store according to CA law. Elite Animals was in non-compliance of the CA puppy lemon law.

The City of West Hollywood passed a resolution banning the sale of puppy mills last year and the Animal Legal Defense Fund has offered to help the city draft an enforceable anti-puppy mill ordinance. The ordinance is expected to be put on the agenda in coming months.

Teri Austin, president of the Amanda Foundation, an established rescue organization in Los Angeles, agreed to meet with owners of Elite Animals next week to discuss the possibility of an arrangement to hold adoptions at the store. At that meeting, once Elite Animals has ceased importing animals or buying animals from factories, discussions might evolve on creating a humane business model for the store. The details for such an arrangement would be based on a binding legal agreement between Elite Animals and CAPS to stop buying, breeding or importing animals.

Leaders of the animal protection movement as well as the dozens of activists who support the anti-puppy mill campaign are hopeful such a deal can be reached.

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Elite Animals of West Hollywood Meet with Animal Protection Movement Leaders at City Hall

Elite Animals of West Hollywood has been besieged by protesters from the animal welfare movement for two weekends in a row. Animal rights activists claim Elite Animals is selling pet factory animals and defrauding consumers.

                                      Evidence photo from CAPS undercover investigation of supplier of Elite Animals

On May 12 there was an extraordinary meeting between Isabella Stroshnoy, the owner of Elite Animals and members of the animal protection movement at West Hollywood's City Hall. 

The Companion Animal Protection Society presented evidence of a puppy mill in Minnesota that supplies Elite Animals. The civil discussion was overseen by a mediator provided by the City of West Hollywood. The organizations who participated were The Companion Animal Protection Society, The Animal Legal Defense Fund, In Defense of Animals, Best Friends Animal Society, The Amanda Foundation and Strangest Angels Rescue. 

The evidence presented was  from a CAPS investigation of a particularly cruel puppy mill in Melrose MN that supplies pet shops around the country. The evidence included graphic photographs of dogs suffering in runs and cages filled with urine and feces, subject to rusted wire flooring, injured with wounds and infections. The dogs had attempted to chew their way out of the wooden whelping boxes. Many of the dogs were exposed to the elements and water containers had a thick layer of slime (algae). 

In addition to the gruesome photographs from the mill, evidence of repeated incidents of non-compliance from USDA inspection reports were presented and read aloud. Also disclosed were reports gathered by Pet Shop Puppies, an organization that collects consumer complaints about sick and dying dogs bought in pet stores around the nation.  The reports presented at the meeting were linked exclusively to the mill that supplies Elite Animals. The consumer reports regarding dogs from the mill in MN stated dogs had congenital malformations, severe illnesses and some of the cases claimed that several dogs were so sick, they had to be euthanized. 

Pet Store owner Isabella Stroshnoy appeared shocked to discover that she was violating a federal law from the Farm Bill which was passed in 2008--a law forbidding the importation of live dogs into the United States from overseas if the dogs are under the age of six months. Elite Animals has repeatedly offered eight week-old puppies imported from Russia to CAPS undercover investigators posing as customers. Elite Animals also lied to CAPS investigators, claiming the dogs they sell in the store were "raised in a house" and "not from a puppy mill." The evidence proves that the dogs were raised in overcrowded, substandard and very harsh conditions that affect the health and well being of the animals.

The meeting ended with a verbal  agreement that Elite Animals would cease and desist from buying dogs for the time being while they considered the idea of converting to a humane business model. In exchange for this  temporary agreement, CAPS has offered to act in good faith and pull back the protesting of the store this coming weekend.  Elite Animals must now provide CAPS and the Animal Legal Defense Fund with the entire list of breeders supplying the store for the ongoing investigation. This information should have been posted on the outside of the enclosures of the puppies in the store according to CA law. Elite Animals was in non-compliance of the CA puppy lemon law. 

Teri Austin, president of the Amanda Foundation, an established rescue organization in Los Angeles, agreed to meet with owners of Elite Animals next week to discuss the possibility of an arrangement to hold adoptions at the store. At that meeting, once Elite Animals has ceased importing animals or buying animals from factories, discussions might evolve on creating a humane business model for the store. The details for such an arrangement would be based on a binding legal agreement between Elite Animals and CAPS to stop buying, breeding or importing animals. 

Leaders of the animal protection movement as well as the dozens of activists who support the anti-puppy mill campaign are hopeful such a deal can be reached. 

Photos by Elle Wittelsbach of Strangest Angels Rescue

Animal Welfare Activists Besiege Elite Animals in West Hollywood

Elite Animals Caught on Tape Selling Puppy Mill Dogs and Lying to Customers

If you or someone you know bought a sick dog or had a bad experience at Elite Animals in West Hollywood, CA, please contact Eliteanimalscomplaint@gmail.com

Companion Animal Protection Society investigation of Elite Animals in West Hollywood reveals cruel puppy mill supplier

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West Hollywood Pet Store “Elite Animals” Caught on Video

Selling Puppy Mill Dogs

Companion Animal Protection Society’s Investigation Reveals the Sale of Puppy Mill Dogs to Innocent Victims Including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

 

(Los Angeles, CA) – An undercover investigation by the Companion Animal Protection Society (www.caps-web.org) has revealed that Elite Animals of West Hollywood sells dogs from puppy mills in the Midwest and is defrauding customers, lying about the conditions where the dogs are from. The city of West Hollywood, California passed a resolution against the sale of puppy mill dogs last year. Elite Animals has ignored efforts by the City of West Hollywood to come in for a meeting to discuss the evidence in an open forum with representatives from several national animal welfare organizations. 

 

The evidence from the undercover investigation of the mill that supplies Elite Animals revealed dogs living in deplorable conditions. The dog enclosures were overcrowded and filthy. The dogs were sick, injured and crammed into rusty cages that are full of feces and urine. In the undercover investigation of Elite animals, a clerk lied to CAPS investigators posing as customers that the dogs were "raised in a house." The same clerk admitted selling a Pomeranian from the same breeder to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Governor Schwarzenegger was a victim of fraud if he believed his dog was from a reputable breeder. Elite Animals also told undercover investigators they could buy puppies imported from Russia. The clerk claimed his wife owned the shop and that he could import "whatever you want." It is illegal and dangerous to import dogs under the age of six months. Elite Animals was in violation of the law by not posting the breeder information in clear view outside the animal enclosures in the store. Please click here to view the video of the undecover investigation.

 

"Elite Animals is using our Governor’s good name to sell puppy mill puppies. Governor Schwarzenegger was a victim, like so many consumers who buy pets in pet stores thinking the pet is from a reputable breeder. No reputable breeder ships dogs to pet shops or sells on the Internet. The evidence from the breeder who supplies Elite Animals is some of the worst I've seen. There is only one way to describe the evidence: Silence of the Lambs. The dogs are in anguish, living out their wretched lives crammed into cages without any mercy. If our own Governor can be lied to this way, any innocent consumer can be lied to and this has to stop. During this historic economic crisis, we ask that people relieve our overburdened municipal shelters instead of buying animals in pet shops. Elite Animals is not unique in this regard. Pet shops are all puppy mill fronts and the pets sold in them are from pet factories. The progressive City of West Hollywood has been extremely supportive of animal welfare issues and will be putting an ordinance banning the sale of puppy mill dogs on the agenda." - Carole Raphaelle Davis, West Coast Director of The Companion Animal Protection Society, author of "The Diary of Jinky, Dog of a Hollywood Wife” and investigative reporter for American Dog Magazine.

 

"Living with a puppy mill survivor, I'm well aware that these pet stores support an industry that is nothing short of legalized torture. 'Baby' was used like a breeding machine at one of these houses of horror, never allowed out of a small cage for 8 years, and had her vocal cords cut so the puppy mill owner wouldn't have to hear her cries. She's just one of countless dogs living in torture at this very moment. Elite Animals, like all puppy mill fronts, is to blame for these atrocities against man's best friend." - Dr. Jana Kohl, guardian of Baby, a puppy mill survivor and author of “A Rare Breed of Love.”

 

Puppy Mill Dogs Rescued From Breeding Operation in Riverside, CA

Riverside Min Pins rescued from puppy mill now in the hospital

 Investigation Leads to Rescue of Sixty Two Dogs in Riverside, CA

 Sixty two Miniature Pinschers were rescued from a substandard breeding facility in Riverside, CA on March 3^rd. The puppy mill was operated by Linda Smith, who claims to have been “breeding champion Min Pins for twenty eight years.”  The dogs were rescued by Good Dog Animal Rescue with the assistance of The Companion Animal Protection Society after an undercover investigation revealed evidence of animal cruelty and severe neglect at the Riverside home of Linda Smith.

 

The dogs had been living in filthy and inhumane conditions and Riverside Animal Control has admitted to  “an open case on Linda Smith for years.” Field Commander Rita Gutierrez told CAPS West Coast Director Carole Raphaelle Davis that the kennels of Linda Smith had been inspected as recently as February 25^th and that Linda smith had passed the inspection. Gutierrez also admitted that as a general rule, she gives her cases a “heads up” before she sends officers in for an inspection, “in order to keep people on their toes.”  She stated she had given  “heads up” notice to Linda Smith routinely. CAPS questions this tactic as it only encourages animal abusers to hide evidence when given prior knowledge of lawful entrance to the property by the authorities. Many of the dogs had been crudely debarked at home, a painful and dangerous procedure that keeps the dogs from making sounds when barking.

“Having assisted the rescue, I can only describe it this way: Silence of the Lambs. The stench was eye-stinging. The dogs were crammed into overcrowded runs and cages and were living on a carpet of feces, eating and drinking out of buckets filled with feces and urine. Their nails were grown into their foot pads, their mouths are in advanced stages of gum disease, many having lost all their teeth. The dogs were infested with fleas and were being eaten alive by ticks. They have never seen a vet. This is clearly an actionable case of animal abuse and we are outraged by the laissez-faire attitude of Riverside Animal Care and Control. The remaining twenty animals must be removed from Smith immediately and she must be charged.”

---Carole Raphaelle Davis, CAPS West Coast Director and author of “The diary of Jinky, Dog of a Hollywood Wife.

“It’s a nightmare for these poor dogs. After we rescue them, and spend one-on-one time with them, they really just want to be a pet; they don’t want to be a machine.  They don’t want to be stuck in a crate for the rest of their lives; they want to play with a tennis ball. Before you buy a dog, whether it be from a breeder, the Internet or a puppy store, don’t judge a book by its cover because you don’t get to see--- all you see is ‘cute puppy.’ But if you saw the parents like I see the parents when I do rescues, it doesn’t make the puppies so cute anymore. “

----Chance White, Founder of Good Dog Animal Rescue

www.gooddoganimalrescue.com

 The dogs were caravanned to The Century Veterinary Group, a veterinary hospital in Los Angeles and were treated by a medical team led by Dr. Jeff Werber. Several dogs are in late term pregnancy. The dogs will be available for adoption in the very stores CAPS has protested in Los Angeles as part of its “Rescue Revolution, ” a program that urges pet stores to convert to a humane business model, becoming rescue centers. Local activists have conducted  successful conversions through demonstrations and educational outreach at retail outlets that were selling puppy mill dogs and other pet factory animals.

Please see documentary by award winning film maker Carly Heath about the Riverside Min Pin Rescue and for photos of all the dogs available for adoption and further information, please visit:

www.puppymillmom.blogspot.com 

Here are some of the rescued dogs at Dr. Werber's hospital. They are getting treated and cleaned up and ready for love. The vet bills are mounting and all that deworming and vaccinating, spaying and neutering is costing a pretty penny. Please make a donation to Good Dog Animal rescue so that these large scale rescues are possible. No amount is too small, even $10 will help. Please click here to help with the Riverside Min Pin Rescue.

Scroll down to see where the dogs will be available for adoption!

Riverside Animal Control Disgraced by Puppy Mill Investigation

Please watch this documentary about the Riverside Puppy Mill Rescue.

Call Riverside Animal control and voice your outrage. Ask them to take the rest of Linda Smith's animals away from her so they can be rescued. (951) 358-7387

Call Riverside CA City Council and ask them to overhaul this animal control agency. (951) 826-5991

The Riverside County Department of Animal Services Administration, Director Robert Miller can be contacted here:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.rivcocha.org%2Fsvcsdir1.htm

And the contact information for the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to complain about this situation can be found here:

County Executive Officer
Bill Luna
County Administrative Center
4080 Lemon Street - 4th Floor
Riverside, California 92501
(951) 955-1100
bluna@rceo.org

Public Information Officer
Ray Smith
County Executive Office
4080 Lemon Street - 4th Floor
Riverside, California 92501
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Puppy Mill in Riverside Exposes Cruel Breeding Operation

Dogs Rescued From I.E. Breeder Hit By Hard Times

Reporting
David Goldstein

LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―

Click to enlarge

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numSlides of totalImag

Watch the story here.

Animal rescuers have taken dozens of dogs from inundated breeders, who have been hit by the bad economic times.

Now you can help save these animals!

If you can provide a loving home for a dog, the homeless pooches are being put up for adoption at the following locations.

Woof Worx
2924 N. Beverly Glen Circle
Los Angeles, CA 90077
310-474-1211
woofworx.com

Elaine's Pet Depot
12423 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90025
310-828-4545
petdepot.net/elaines.html

Helen's Pet Depot
10531 west pico blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310-470-2922
petdepot.net/helens.html

Kirby's Pet Depot #3
12112 Venice Boulevard
Mar Vista (Los Angeles), CA
310-313-1801
petdepot.net/kirbys.html

For more info contact
www.gooddoganimalrescue.com
310-403-9301

" This was a horrendous puppy mill we went to today and the breeder abused those animals. Now they can be treated at the hospital and given some love to get ready to be adopted. Those poor dogs, she called them "my babies" but she ought to go to prison for the way she treated them. This is not just a case of "bad economic times," this is a case of animal cruelty and a total lack of empathy on the part of this breeder, who is a textbook malignant narcissist.

Every single violation of the Animal Welfare Act was in plain view. I'd like to see how she cries if we put her in one of her shit- filled dog runs, covered in ticks and fleas and puncture wounds.

"My babies!" Puh-lease. I will never forget what I saw today in Riverside. The stench, the cries, the desperation, the dog with no eyes, the water buckets full of feces and the selfish whining of this deeply cruel woman.

And she passed a Riverside Animal Control inspection. They must be exposed. "

Carole Raphaelle Davis, author of "The Diary of Jinky, Dog of a Hollywood Wife" and spokesperson for The Companion Animal Protection Society