GSD breeder arrested in CT - Page 3

i am aware that money is tight for some, not for others

I for one DO get the shivers when I read about stories like this. OK, anyone can get in over their heads, & I don't know enough about that particular situation to really comment on that case......BUT (& mine's a big BUT!) in general I think that public opinion is being turned to the PETA view point by a lot of the TV shows that are currently run on stations like animal planet, OWN, etc.

Anyone that has a working condition dog that lives in a crate is suspect. You are either running a puppy mill if your animals are not neutered, or committing cruelty by crating. If you have schutzhund equipment, you are dog fighting. I had a co-worker sit me down & explain that to me. If my dogs had to be crated when I was at work, how could they lead enjoyable lives? And I have a dog that has been diagnosed with EPI, she's as thin as a rail, but slowing regaining now. And she is crated away from the other dogs to be sure she doesn't get any of the 'wrong' food....(in my living room!!!) I'd hate to think what would be said about her! And my dogs frequently roam around loose inside my house.....when I am home with them.

I can remember feeling a mild distain for my mother-in-law when I was a newly-wed the first time around. She was one of those who would follow you around wiping up any scuff marks your shoes made, & would always dust-bust behind me when I sat on her sofa because I always had pet dander on my clothes.....I pitied her because she never had the love of an animal to share her home with, & I'm sure she looked down her nose at me because I did. Well, that mentality are who peoples the local township halls & municipal courts around here in NEPA.....look out animal lovers!

There but for the Grace of God go I...............I know my house does not smell like urine, but sometimes it smells of pancreas, (yuck !) I don't use a lot of air fresheners, I do use a LOT of bleach! LOL!

But I think it's very scary. Our neighbors are pretty good except for 1....& 1 is all it takes to complain. ***sigh*** I wish my Ansgar didn't insist on waking up at 05:30 Sunday mornings!
jackie harris

I think AC gets a little nuts. One place I lived, I have moved a lot, I know, I had a run in with them. Disgruntled neighbor, I guess. Anyhow, they asked why my 10yr old retired working dog was so fat -- eh, old dogs tend to get sedentary, gain weight. They asked why my 4yr old show line female was so skinny -- well, she's in working condition, coming into heat, blowing coat... It was like they had no knowledge there. I got an order to take my female to the vet for a health screening including fecal and bloodwork, which I did, and lo and behold it came back normal. AC didn't like that, so they wanted me to take her back for a second, more in-depth screening for everything from EPI to cancer. I told them, in as many words, to stop wasting tax-payers money on people with health dogs, and go investigate some cruelty reports or something productive.

When I was breeding snakes, I was accused by someone who had never even been inside my house of being a hoarder because I had 20+ herps, most of those neonates I was holding back till their first shed before selling. It was not a large collection at all, compared to many of my breeder friends collections. Dozens of animals, worth multiple thousands of dollars. People can be very naive at times.



That being said, if I recall CT has laws on how much time a dog can be in a crate. The rest of the time it has to be in some kennel structure. Now, if I recall also correctly, those kennel structures don't need to be huge. 5x10 for an adult the size of a GSD, I think.

I have an ethical issue with "box dogs." I think crating excessively is not fair to the dogs. More than 8hrs a day seems excessive. I think if dogs had been meant to live in crates, they'd have been born as cubes, lol. I believe excessive crating leads to stiff, sore joints, loss of muscle tone, and reduced stamina. For me, at least, I want my dogs in top working condition, and even if they just sleep in their kennels when I'm not there, at least they have the opportunity to get up, walk around, stretch their legs.

I do not know why a breeder would have stacks of crates inside. To me, it would make sense to have secure kennel pens to let the dogs out in; bring them in at night if the weather was nasty, or they were barking too much. I think a breeder, unless very small with four or less animals, should have proper facilities that do not use crating as the main method of housing their dogs.

I live on a farm with three houses right next to each other. The meigbors and I get along great and they love /like all my dogs. When I first bought Arabelle, (@ 17 mos ago) I brought her home at 9 weeks. I didn't have the kennel built yet so I put her in the largest wire crate they sell and had her on the platform next to Anastacia in her kennel. While at work one day "someone" called AC and when they arrived the girlfriend was freakin out, (like she had done something wrong) Another point here is: if the owner doesn't fully understand/know what is right and what is not, they can be intimidated, even by AC.

Well, as soon as I arrived home and I hear the story. I mmediately grabbed the paperwork and jumped in the truck and headed to AC. Asked for the officer whose name was on the paperwork. As a former LEO I knew that they wouldn't release the complainants' name to me but I wanted to be crystal clear in the verbage of the complaint and I wanted the AC Officer to be crystal clear that I was upset and this conversation was going to be a one time thing. He was totally on my side, understood why Bella ws in the crate, stated the kennels were nice, clean, dogs were good looking specimens, and plenty of clean water. No problem on his behalf. Stated he had to go out and investigate the complaint and the only thing I had to do was register the dogs in that County. (I had moved from another County).

I live a mile off the main road and 2/10 of a mile past us there at the end lives a rich couple, the Great Great Grandson of General Patton and the only thing I can think of is it was him. But I'll never know! And the complaint was that I was being inhumane to my dogs by keeping them kenneled/crated.

Alboe, this woman is not a newbie, she's an award winning dog trainer, breeder and schutzhund professional. Of course now it is hard to see that because her websites advertising puppies have suddenly disappeared. This is not a remote area we are talking about, it is a Main Street type road, and there probably is a postage stamp sized yard if the area is where I'm thinking of. Isn't it obvious she should know she needs kennels for her dogs, but some reason makes her think stacking German Shepherds in the dining room is not a problem. Does she have kids living with her? I hope not! The house had to have stunk to high heaven. Also notice the pattern with possessiveness includes the DNA. Where has this been seen before? I love all the whitewashing going on here, the "family" is closing ranks. Makes me wonder how many people here stack their German Shepherds in the dining room, (not temporarily because you moved).

And people wonder how can 13 German Shepherds become 64. Good grief. Just how much time does it require for one person to provide proper exercise and care to 13 large, German Shepherds? Guess that's why the house stinks, huh? Excuses, that's what I'm hearing.

Not going to bother commenting on the guilt or innocence on the breeder in this story, just a "heads up" to everyone.

It's up to YOU, the dog owner, to ensure you are aware of each and every (oft time ludicrous) bylaw in your city/county/township etc that involves the owning of dogs in that specific area.

For example, in our area, anything over a 6' leash is considered "illegal", so that means those ridiculous flexi-leads are technically "illegal" and your dog is considered "out of control" and not on a leash! So while walking your poodle/pit-bull, GSD etc, it MUST be on a 6' or less lead. Or..one of "those" AC guys can write you up a handy little ticket..and trust and believe the city WILL side with the AC officer and you WILL pay that fine.

Some other examples of the "fine print" of our city by-laws:
-no prong or electric collars
-invisible fences are not permitted
-clean drinkable water shall be available at all times-animals being worked or transported shall be offered water as often as needed. containers should be able to be sanitized/disinfected and constucted/affixed in a manner that the animal cannot spill or destroy.

The "caging" requirements are amazing! Small excerpts:
If caged (crated) for transport etc, the dog must be permitted to exercise no less than twice daily, for a minimum of 30 minutes!

"Outdoor" housing ie kennel run:
A small sample: Single dog over 50lbs shall be kept in a pen no less than 8'x10'--not including shelter.

Other various snippets:
"animals shall have at least 10 hours of light per day"
"animals shall be brought indoors to shelter when temp is below 10F (real and effective temp)"

There are so many little rules, any RESPONSIBLE dog owner would be hard pressed to meet each and every one of them in our city.
If they (AC) determines your dog "acts" abused, they can seize said dog..I don't even want to tackle that one..too many little things to repeat here..my only point is this: as a dog owner, it is up to YOU to know your laws/by-laws in your living area. As insane as some of these are, you better know them, because all it takes is one "officer" that has a bad day/life etc to make your life hell.

We are fortunate and have a super relationship with AC in our area, but we have been victim to a shitty neighbor that lodged numerous "anonymous" complaints against us. In one year, we had 24 visits from AC. We have not recieved one citation to date (10yrs this address), for anything.

In fact, the AC officer that came to the first complaint even parked outside our home with his windows open and van off for over an hour one day to see if he could "hear" the "non stop barking" etc. No, I won't comment on the waste of one hours time..but suffice to say, he was pleased we were in order license wise, and that there was no dogs running the neighborhood attacking people, nor living in cages 24-7, nor barking non-stop etc etc (how are they running the neighborhood if they are caged non stop?). This particular officer even took pics of our kennel run set ups to use as an example in his calls, as well as to show his supervisor.

I digress, KNOW your locals laws/rules, and make sure you are always in compliance re license etc.

What is ludicrous is the punishment for offenders. It is never enough. Authorities don't waste time or resources for minor offenses. The welfare of the animal is what matters, not someone's sense of entitlement.

I agree 100% with barkroz's posts.

Its interesting to note that if the woman was NOT a schutzhund person most likely she would be crucified on here for having 13 dogs in crates in her house. I for one, wouldn't be able to stand the noise and smell. There had to have been complaints or no one would have the wiser. I can only imagine how the dogs were coping. I wasnt able to pull the link to even read the story so I cant comment on the story. But if the breeder were so proud of what she was doing, then why take down her site or her ads?