Tulsa World: 100 dogs found; owner cited

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100 dogs found; owner cited

By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Published: 11/14/2007 2:15 AM
Last Modified: 11/14/2007 11:39 AM

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City investigators won't call the operation a puppy mill, but a local Humane Society official does.

Tulsa animal control investigators last week found more than 100 dogs crammed into a trailer where a local puppy-selling business is based.

The owner, Jerry Hine, received misdemeanor citations for having more than the three dogs allowed under city ordinances and not sterilizing them. He is due in municipal court Dec. 10.

But investigators said they wouldn't necessarily call Hine's business at 6836 E. Admiral Place a puppy mill.

"There was not a cruelty issue whatsoever," investigator Jake Wilson said Tuesday.

"We would have confiscated them had that been the case. They are being well-cared for. They all have vaccination records."

The issue is that Hine has far too many dogs, Wilson said, adding that by his count there are 51 adult dogs and 53 puppies, mostly Yorkies and Malteses.

"Bottom line, you can't breed dogs in the city," he said.

Also, all dogs have to be spayed or neutered unless the owner has received a hobbyist exemption -- meant for hunting dogs, Wilson said.

Although Hine has such an

exemption, it is on a different address and would not apply to toy breeds, he said.

Hine maintains that he is following all city ordinances and plans to fight the citations in court.

"I'm totally innocent," he said. "There's no limit on the number of puppies you can have, and I'll prove just that. I've followed all the rules."

Hine said he got into his business years ago because he loves dogs.

"They're my babies," he said. "I feed, bathe and take care of them and send them off to good homes. I'm doing a service to mankind and I'm doing a service to the dogs."

Sarah Burnam of the Humane Society of Tulsa recently went to Hine's business posing as a potential buyer.

"I would certainly call it a puppy mill based on the number that he has in a relatively small space," she said.

Burnam said the dogs seemed healthy.

"But they shouldn't be treated like this," she said. "It was very sad."

Having more than the allowable number of dogs carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine; not sterilizing dogs carries a maximum penalty of a $200 fine.

Wilson said it's rare for animal control investigators to find such a large puppy operation within the city limits.

"Mostly, we deal with people who have too many dogs because they keep taking them in out of the goodness of their hearts," he said. "Not something like this."

Brian Barber 581-8322
brian.barber@tulsaworld.com

By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment Honky Donkey, (11/14/2007 9:40:00 AM) Now send in PETA to ruin this man's life. If all of the animals were in good health with proper veterinary records write him a ticket for violating city ordinance, let him pay his fine and leave him alone. With all of the meth problems this state has why are we worried about puppies when this man obviously has his business and his animals taken care of? Gotta love the media.......
	Report Comment BJC, Tulsa (11/14/2007 10:28:19 AM) How do you take care of fifty adult dogs & fifty puppies in a mobile home in a trailer court? Jake Wilson has cited animal cruelty to six people in three years in Tulsa. He is the person who's testimony let all of the pit bulls kept for 1 1/2 years in the Tulsa Animal Shelter to be given to NFL football player Lashon Johnson's sister-in-law. He could not identify them as fighting dogs. That was ridiculous. We had something much worse than Michael Vick's transgressions happen with Lashon Johnson's fighting of Pit Bulls, TWICE. He walked away and said he wants a career in Oklahoma Law Enforcement. Pit Bull Fighter/OK Law Enforcement Officer, that should not be synonymous with each other. Stop the selling of dogs on Tulsa Streets. Ticket people selling dogs out of trucks on 71st street.
	Report Comment D, Tulsa (11/14/2007 11:26:25 AM) It's good that the animals are healthy and being taken care of... but after watching the news on tv last night and actually seeing the cages and the condition of the house, I'm not impressed with this guy. The cages were tiny. These animals are kept in cages the size of a large microwave... I don't see how that is healthy for them...
	Report Comment Doug, (11/14/2007 12:11:23 PM) Why is it that when something so wacked as having 100 dogs or cats at your residence it's always a trailer park? Is it a requirement to be disfunctional to live in a trailer.
	Report Comment doc feelgood, east BA (11/14/2007 4:49:23 PM) with a some sweet and sour sauce you will never know the difference. and thats not chicken on a stick.
	Report Comment CL, (11/14/2007 7:17:57 PM) As long as people are willing to purchase puppies directly or indirectly from people who keep dogs in tiny wirebottomed cages for all of their active breeding lives, puppy mills and dealers who sell puppy mill dogs will stay in business. Shelters over the nation have wonderful dogs needing good homes. It can be hoped that if enough people read articles like this, they will choose to save a dog's life by adopting their next pet from a shelter or rescue instead of patronizing dealers that traffic in dogs, and profit from the misery of dogs crowded ino small cages, breathing ammonia fumes and walking, laying, and sleeping on wirebottomed cages.
	Report Comment Sue, Bartlesville (11/15/2007 1:30:41 AM) Puppy Mill, puppy mill, PUPPY MILL. However you say or spell it, it's a nightmare for all the dogs.
	Report Comment old rusty, tulsa (11/15/2007 6:25:29 AM) What a brain Fart, this guys in it for the Money,Bet the IRS, dont know how much money hes making.mostely cash is guess.
	Report Comment Megan B, Tulsa (11/15/2007 10:51:48 AM) Why dont we worry about something that is really wrong in our city- like the 60th homicide in Tulsa, or the little girl that is missing that will be the 61st homicide in Tulsa when found, or maybe the illegal drug rings all over Tulsa, even possibly the gangs and teen pregnancys that are continuously on the rise here. Lets worry about the important things and solve those CRIME Issues first then we go to a man with too many dogs!
	Report Comment anon, (11/15/2007 1:22:17 PM) mistreatment of animals leads to mistreatment of people. all laws must be enforced -no matter what. The police can not continue to ignore complaints from the Humane Society . Mayor Taylor is working hard to make things 'right' for animals in OK. Not an easy task. We have to take care of the most vunderable first. The animals, once we educate persons on the correct treatment of animals, proper housing, health care, spay and nuetuer, then we can begin to educate the general public on the proper treatment of human beings. the most basic care applied to animals can be applied to humans. Cleanliness, proper suitable housing, regular health care, and most of all KINDNESS & EMPATHY!
	Report Comment Anita Herron, Tulsa (11/15/2007 3:55:04 PM) I think it is disgusting that "Mayor Kathy Taylor" put out a new law not allowing american pitbull terriers to be adopted. These dogsa have gone back to 1903, my family ancestory only had pit bulls. They adapted to anything. Pulling my grandfather's cart, being "babysitter over my Grandmother and her 7 siblings. Never, ever were they viscious. They always aim to please and care of no one or thing but their owner's love. My mother was raised around them, I was raised around them, and have two females as we speak. I have never had any problem with any pitbull, my husband and I often pick them up when lost, so they do not go to the shelter and advertise them. My girls, (the pitbulls I own) enjoy new company and vice versa. If anything, these animals seem to be grateful for giving them shelter, food, love and warmth. Why can't you people arrest the abusers, not the animal, for crying out loud. My mom had a schnauzer that was meaner than their female pitbull. He used to attack her. She just ignored him. And I do not care what anyone says, they love children. I believe kids that have been attacked by a "pitbull" was either inbred; in which there has been findings inbreeding causes strokes in these dogs. Or, the owner makes them mean because pitbull to sick people is a means of "power".
	Report Comment Megan B, Tulsa (11/15/2007 4:07:36 PM) Excuse me but I thought that human beings are foremost the most superior beings on Earth. I guess that I was wrong thinking that the myself and the HUMANS in this city matter more than an animal. I love animals dont get me wrong, I have a dog which is like my own child. But people still matter more than an animal does. I do not believe in treating an animal worse than a humanbeing, but I believe that we are spending a little too much time, money, and attention on animals and not stopping serious CRIMES that hurt HUMANBEINGS!
	Report Comment B.A. , Tulsa (11/15/2007 5:13:18 PM) Well, #12, I think you are mistaken, you see, a parent can leave their child, newborn or toddler in a steaming hot car until they become lethargic and limpand even dead........Parents get off scott free.... Poor Parents....they are suffering their loss.........HOWEVER, if you leave a dog in a locked hot car, You are going to jail and paying a fine....Yep, we would rather put those kind of people in jail, then someone who forgets that they have CHILDREN......go figure
	Report Comment Eddy, Tulsa (11/15/2007 8:37:27 PM) These spay neuter exemptions need to be investigated, because clearly the puppy millers have found a way to exploit and abuse them. But these puppy millers are also selling sick puppies to consumers and spreading disease! In addition, they frequently hide their incomes and DON'T PAY TAXES. We need to bust these operations!!!
	Report Comment CL, (11/15/2007 8:38:24 PM) The very first case of child abuse prosecuted in the U. S. was prosecuted under the New York state animal cruelty law with the American Society for the Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) demanding prosecution in behalf of a little mistreated girl named Mary Ann Wilson. Originally humane societies in this country advocated against child abuse, as well as animal abuse, until child protection organizations were founded and took up the fight for children. (Go read the history of the humane movement in the U. S. and see this for yourself.) Nothing I do for animals keeps any other person from spending all of their time working as a child welfare advocate. You do not see animal welfare advocates carping against child protection following the publication of a child abuse story, do you? Why then do the dog haters come out in force everytime some of us who care deeply for animals express our sentiments about the subject of animal abuse? You never see the people who carp about the time some of us spend protecting animals also complaining about people who spend endless days playing bridge, playing golf, working on hobbies, etc. etc. etc. do you?
	Report Comment CL, (11/16/2007 11:30:19 AM) I would like to correct Post # 15, which I posted last night. The name of the little girl who was removed from her home due to her mistreatment there through the help of the ASPCA founder, Henry Bergh and Etta Wheeler, a Methodist social worker, was Mary Ellen Wilson (not Mary Ann as stated above.)
	Report Comment D C, Tulsa (12/30/2007 10:44:50 AM) Following the "letter of the law" does not make things right. No one in their right mind could believe that someone with as many animals this animal has (regardless of the size of dwelling) the 'interest of the animal(s) at heart.' The only service being performed in this case is the lining of someone's pocket! How can a city inspector say that no laws were being broken? Just because you have papers does not mean that everything is right. Who is the vet that hasn't taken the time to realize that all of these animals are coming from the same place? Is it that much of a money-maker for their business as well that they don't care about what is really going on!? One last comment: I was very hurt by the individual that related people living in mobile homes as having to be impaired in any way. I happen to live in a mobile home, and take as much pride in my home as this individual obviously takes in his. Where you live, and what you live in actually has nothing to do with the issue: this is a puppy mill situation, so it's time we quit calling the kettle rosey instead of black. Whether or not these animals are being sold as purebreds or not, this is wrong! This is not rocket science - it's how someone is finding a way around the laws that are extremely lax in the first place.
	Report Comment miller, (6/19/2008 7:59:34 AM) here is NO EXCUSE for having this many dogs! Humane treatment matters.....but let's not join the PETA in banding all breeders! Shelter dogs are great for people but many times the larger dogs are abused and I want a dog I have trained.......and can trust. No one has the right to decide my pet or where I get the pet.....I have that right! And the right to bred my dog and place those pups.....since they are microchipped no one will ever have to pay for their rescue! FREEDOM to have dogs....FREEDOM to eat meat........FREEDOM to choose.... Now lets continue to resolve the problems and not pick on those that choose to have a few.....they are like apples and oranges... katherine
	Report Comment you'rekidding, tulsa (7/18/2009 11:07:24 AM) maybe i misuderstood, did the article say you're not allowed to have more than 3 dogs in city limits?
	Report Comment you'rekidding, tulsa (7/18/2009 11:18:07 AM) and maybe I cannot spell either

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