[News] Fort Worth Texas - 500 Dogs Taken from Kennel

[mnewco]

Wow...I can't imagine feeding 500 dogs let alone be able to care for them all. This is just plain insanity!

[mnewco]

Originally Posted by flipflopsusie

Well I was hoping when I read puppy mill busted in Ft.Worth/Dallas area that it was Yorkiepups.com or Jeff Dane. Oh well wishfull thinking...maybe next time.

They have a Yorkie that was born on Sept 1, 2008 that only weights 1.2 lbs.

Is this possible??? That has to be the tiniest dog in the world! They want $10,000. It looks like the size of a 6 week old kitten.

I am baffled.

[angelakc]

Wow how sad...I hope they all find loving homes...

[hartygirl]

Now these poor babies can have a chance at a real life.

I would probably wet myself if Jeff Dane got shut down, what a day that would be!

[omichka]

We will be CLOSED until further notice



Thanks God

[maggies_mama]

This post is not necessarily about Yorkies . My husband agreed to watch a Mastiff Puppy about 3 weeks ago and she was brought to my home. she was so huge i didn't dare bring her in house with my 4 yorkies instead I fixed her up with nice bed in shed. She seemed very timid and would barely walk. I asked my husband what I was expected to do with her. He said the owner wanted me to get her to walk and socialize better(like I am some great dog trainer). Well, needless to say i was overwhelmed as I am used to these tiny yorkies and it all seemed a bit shady to me. Well, the story comes out and my husband tells me that the guy told him that he breeds Mastiffs in a barn and he was talking abt shooting her if she didnt start walking(poor thing has a crooked tail too). So my husband felt bad and said his lovely wife would fix things. Come to find out this guy has one huge male and he is breeding it with 4 females. He is selling them for tons of money too. so I was furious and told my husband i was going to report the man for running a puppy mill(isn't this a puppy mill?) I also threatened to find someone and give the dog away. Well my husband called man and startes asking him lots of questions. I suppose i put a bug in hubbys ear. The man called said he wanted Dog back and came and took as he has papers on the parents and ownership( I was not home, my son let him take her). I am not even sure of his exact address and if u saw the state of this Dog you would cry. Until she came to my house she had never even seen the light of day. She couldn't walk because she had no exercise in 2 weeks she was bouncing all over yard. And loved me soooo much. I know where this guy works and I am sure this dog was either killed or is back in her abusive enviroment. What can I do if I dont know the address? I know kinda what area he is living in but thats it. I am sooo worried about her

[manolos mom]

Originally Posted by maggies_mama

This post is not necessarily about Yorkies . My husband agreed to watch a Mastiff Puppy about 3 weeks ago and she was brought to my home. she was so huge i didn't dare bring her in house with my 4 yorkies instead I fixed her up with nice bed in shed. She seemed very timid and would barely walk. I asked my husband what I was expected to do with her. He said the owner wanted me to get her to walk and socialize better(like I am some great dog trainer). Well, needless to say i was overwhelmed as I am used to these tiny yorkies and it all seemed a bit shady to me. Well, the story comes out and my husband tells me that the guy told him that he breeds Mastiffs in a barn and he was talking abt shooting her if she didnt start walking(poor thing has a crooked tail too). So my husband felt bad and said his lovely wife would fix things. Come to find out this guy has one huge male and he is breeding it with 4 females. He is selling them for tons of money too. so I was furious and told my husband i was going to report the man for running a puppy mill(isn't this a puppy mill?) I also threatened to find someone and give the dog away. Well my husband called man and startes asking him lots of questions. I suppose i put a bug in hubbys ear. The man called said he wanted Dog back and came and took as he has papers on the parents and ownership( I was not home, my son let him take her). I am not even sure of his exact address and if u saw the state of this Dog you would cry. Until she came to my house she had never even seen the light of day. She couldn't walk because she had no exercise in 2 weeks she was bouncing all over yard. And loved me soooo much. I know where this guy works and I am sure this dog was either killed or is back in her abusive enviroment. What can I do if I dont know the address? I know kinda what area he is living in but thats it. I am sooo worried about her

Your story touched me. I would be calling the cops and reporting this. I would also try and find the nearest shelter or rescue that may be able to help take ownership. That way you could go and adopt her. This is just so sick....

[cesar49]

what a sad sad story.. i hate to hear these stories.. maybe you can contact the media in your area to do an investigation.. this man needs to be stopped.. if possible.. how can people be so cruel and get away with it?
at the very least, he should be publiicly shamed at his work place..isn't there a price to pay for this abuse and cruelty?

[manolos mom]

Nearly 500 dogs seized from Montague County ranch must go to Humane Society, justice of the peace rules
By ALEX BRANCH




MONTAGUE — Almost 500 dogs seized from a Montague County breeding ranch were kept in cruel confinement and should be forfeited to the custody of the Humane Society of North Texas, a justice of the peace ruled Friday evening.
Carol and Cloyce Heddins, owners of Maggic Pets/Heddins Kennel, must also pay the Humane Society $40,000 for the cost of caring for the animals, which were seized July 7 from the ranch near Bowie, Justice of the Peace Karen Reynolds said.
Several "family dogs" seized in the raid should be returned to the owners, Reynolds said.
Carol Heddins, 76, the longtime operator of the ranch, did not react visibly to the decision, a contrast to earlier emotional and combative testimony, in which she accused Humane Society officials of conspiring to plant evidence at her ranch, including dog feces.
"They want to shut me down," she said. "They want to make me look bad."
Attorney Don Feare, representing the county, described an operation where healthy-looking dogs were kept in kennels near the front of the ranch where customers could see them but sick dogs suffered without proper care in the back.
He showed the judge pictures of dogs in dirty cages and with eye infections and skin conditions.
"This is a puppy mill," he said. "It is something the state should not tolerate."
Feare, of Arlington, was acting as a special prosecutor appointed by the Montague County district attorney to handle the case because he has experience in animal-welfare law.
The problems described
Heddins, using a walker, was escorted slowly into the courtroom by her husband, Cloyce Heddins, 81. She shook her head and rubbed her temples as witnesses described what they saw at her ranch.
Michelle Gomulak, a Gainesville veterinarian, said she visited the ranch in mid-June to look at dogs and found many living in stacked wire cages. Some were missing hair or had oozing skin sores, she said. She recalled one "emaciated" mother dog in particular.
"When I touched her through the cage, she wouldn’t even raise her head," she said.
Cynthia Jones, a veterinarian who examined all the dogs for the Humane Society after they were seized, said she found something wrong with every one.
She rattled off a long list of ailments, including staph infections, intestinal parasites, dental disease, ear mites and ringworm.
Some medications for dogs were found at the ranch, but many were out of date, including one dosage from 2005, she said.
"They all needed to see a veterinarian," she said.
Heddins’ answers
The Heddinses’ lawyer, Tracey Jennings, called two ranch employees who insisted that they fed, watered and bathed the dogs. Carol Heddins then took the stand and said she had been in the dog-breeding business more than 30 years, had sold thousands of dogs and was so well-trained to care for them that she often didn’t need a veterinarian’s help.
"I consider myself a vet tech, self-taught," she said.
Heddins said she had eight to 10 employees who helped her care for the dogs and estimated she spent $500,000 a year on heating, cooling, food and veterinary care for the animals.
One reason some dogs might not have been in good shape, she said, was that people drop off between 10 to 15 dogs a week, often in poor health, and that she tries to "doctor them" and then sell them.
The hearing grew contentious during Feare’s cross-examination. Feare complained repeatedly to the judge about Heddins’ tendency to give long, wide-ranging answers, or what he called "her life story."
"You just don’t want to hear the truth," Heddins said.
"No, I’d just like to finish this questioning in my lifetime," Feare responded.
"You think you’re a comic?" Heddins shot back.
As for the pictures of ailing dogs, Heddins said she had never seen many of them before at her ranch. Shown a picture of a cage caked with feces, Heddins suggested that Humane Society officials planted evidence because they didn’t like what she was doing.
"I do the best I can," she said. "I try hard to see that every dog is taken care of."
The seized dogs are being cared for at a north Fort Worth warehouse. Humane Society officials have said they eventually intend to hold an adoption event.

To apply to adopt a dog Go to hsnt.org and click on "Services" in the green tab, then on "review the adoption process." Click on "Dog Adoption Application" near the bottom of the page. Fill out the application and e-mail it to hsnt@sbcglobal.net, fax it to 817-332-2164 or mail it to the Humane Society, 1840 E. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76103-2124.
To donate to the dogs’ care Mail a check, with "Montague County" in the memo line, to the Humane Society at the address above. Donate Purina One dog food at the shelter

[330threedogs]

hi,
I look at this website all the time and have thought of buying a puppy from them although i think most are so expensive. I live in ohio. Have you been to they're kennel? Do they have hundreds of yorkies too? I guess you never know what you are getting just by looking at a website.

[manolos mom]

Nope, you never know. This puppy mill is closed for business. And on top of everything they have to pay the HUMANE SOCIETY $40.000 for the care of these babies. YEP, ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST...

[mnewco]

Where in the world are they going to get $40,000 to pay for these animals? Do they make that kind of money selling those poor dogs?

I will bet they will be in business again but under another name. Why don't they put them in jail for cruelty to animals? Why don't these people ever go to jail?

[330threedogs]

hi again,
I meant the jeff Dane website. Is that also someone who has hundreds of puppies?

[omichka]

that so sad... Anyway, if I were you, I'd went to Google and search for mastiff breeders/mastiff puppies for sale in the area you think that guy lives.

I am sure, he advertises his "business" somewhere...

And then report him..

Good luck

[kimia0731]

I am in search of a yorkie, I am willing to pay for one but I know I can probably get one that needs a home. I would appreciate any help you can give. thanks