Upper Makefield police and Bucks County SPCA workers removed 46 Yorkshire terriers, some just weeks old, from a suspected illegal puppy mill operating inside an apparently abandoned home.

  (Photo courtesy of Kim Weiner/Bucks County Courier Times - A Yorkie puppy gets acquainted in his new home at the Bucks County SPCA in Lahaska)

No criminal charges had been filed in the case but officials said the investigation continues.

"Certainly there will be charges," said Anne Irwin, director of the Bucks County SPCA, which took custody of the dogs. "I think this is a breeding operation."

Police discovered the dogs after receiving a complaint of loud barking. The caller told police there were a large number of dogs in the basement of a possibly abandoned home, and that some dogs may be dead, according to the probable cause affidavit that led to the search warrant.

Patrolman Harry Vitello checked the property and saw a light in the basement. He looked in the windows and saw cages with barking dogs. He also smelled a strong ammonia odor. The officer found an open back door. He entered and found the upstairs empty - no furniture, "broom clean," with no signs of occupancy - but the ammonia smell grew stronger as he neared the basement, according to Irwin and the affidavit.

In the basement, Vitello found a room with 22 animal cages filled with dogs, all alive, but living in squalid conditions. The smallest cage was not much larger than a newspaper page and it housed two adult females and their litters, Irwin said.

Many of the adult dogs had microchips implanted - which are used to identify pets - and it appears the chips were bought in batches, Irwin said.

Nine of the adult females wore plastic collars similar to the ones found in veterinary centers with the names: "Clementine," "Melani," "K.C.," "Kelly," "Felice," "Leanne," "Nelly," "Bridget" and "Elly," according to the probable cause affidavit.

A total of nine puppies, 31 adult females and six adult males were removed. They are at the SPCA's Lahaska shelter where they will be available for adoption.

Police found evidence that someone was providing food and water to the dogs, though there was no running water in the home. Water bottles were attached to cages, Irwin said.

The dogs appear healthy, though a veterinarian has yet to examine them, Irwin said. They acted bright and alert at the shelter.  Many of the adult female dogs had their normally long coats shaved; a few had lesions where they scratched themselves, most likely from being in confined conditions, Irwin said.

Yorkshire terriers, affectionately known as "Yorkies," are among the most popular breeds according the American Kennel Club's registration statistics. The dogs also frequently carry a hefty price tag - $500 or more each.

Pennsylvania law requires a state license for people who keep or transfer 26 or more dogs annually, Irwin said. She added the law was recently changed to require breeders who sell 60 or more dogs annually to be categorized as a commercial kennel, which has "much higher" quality standards.

Police are continuing their investigation.

  (Photo courtesy of Kim Weimer/Bucks County Courier Times - Humane officer Nikki Thompson holds a Yorkie she named Harry at the Bucks County SPCA in Lahaska)

Named for the English city from which they originally hail, Yorkshire terriers were used in the 19th century to catch rats in clothing mills. In its beginnings, the Yorkie belonged to the working class, especially the weavers; facetious comments were often made about how the dogs' fine, silky coats were the ultimate product of the looms. Eventually, the breed left the work force and became a companion animal to families of European high society, according to the American Kennel Club.

Yorkies are easily adaptable to all surroundings and travel well. They require limited exercise, but need daily interaction with their people. Their long coat requires regular brushing.

Update 3/31/09:  Upper Makefield police are continuing their investigation. Meanwhile, SPCA officials say an owner reportedly has come forward.

The Bucks County SPCA has been inundated with hundreds of adoption offers for the 46 Yorkshire terriers rescued from a suspected Upper Makefield puppy mill operation.

Shelter director Anne Irwin says the Solebury animal center has received more than 80 e-mails, "hundreds" of phone messages and dozens of visitors interested in the 37 adults dogs and nine puppies in the agency's custody.

No criminal charges had been filed in the case, but a couple who identified themselves as the dogs' owners met with Upper Makefield police, Irwin said.

Two veterinarians are expected to examine the dogs today.

Update 4/1/09:  The Churchville resident was fined $200 plus court costs totaling about $313 for running an unlicensed kennel.

  (Photo courtesy of Kim Weimer/The Intelligencer - A female Yorkie and mother of four has a new home at the Bucks County SPCA in Lahaska after an early morning raid of a home located at 1411 Wrightstown Rd. in Upper Makefield where 47 Yorkies were found in the basement of the abandoned house)

A Churchville man pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty and running an unlicensed kennel, three days after police removed his 46 Yorkshire terriers from the basement of an abandoned Upper Makefield home.

Alexander Pristatskiy of the 70 block of High Point Drive was fined $200, plus court costs totaling about $313, according to the citations filed in district court. He can keep one adult dog as a pet.

Pristatskiy, who Bucks County SPCA officials say was selling the dogs, relinquished ownership of the other 45 dogs - including nine puppies - to the Solebury animal shelter. The SPCA has received more than 300 adoption offers, shelter director Anne Irwin said.

The raid uncovered the largest county puppy mill operation in nearly two decades, Irwin said. "The thing that concerns me is that there are probably more of these than we know about," she added.

Irwin said the SPCA had contact with Pristatskiy last year, when the agency visited his Churchville home after receiving a complaint. Fewer than 20 dogs were found. No violations were filed, but he was warned the dogs needed to be licensed and he'd need a state kennel license if he kept or transferred more than 26 dogs last year, she added.

Upper Makefield police discovered 46 dogs living in what police described as unsanitary and overcrowded conditions after investigating a complaint of loud barking dogs at an unoccupied home in the 1400 block of Wrightstown Road, near Maher Lane.

Pristatskiy isn't listed as the property's owner, according to county records. It's unclear if he knows or is related to the owner.

An investigation by the SPCA found that Pristatskiy had advertised Yorkshire terriers for sale, mostly in South Jersey newspapers, Irwin said. The dogs were listed in ads as American Kennel Club registered, though local officials found no paperwork confirming it, she added.

The AKC has started the process to suspend Pristatskiy, meaning he should not breed, sell or transfer any dogs with the expectation that the club will register the dogs, club spokeswoman Lisa Peterson said. Pristatskiy registered his first and only litter with AKC in June, meaning newer puppies would not be registered, she said.

"If an individual is convicted of inhumane or cruel treatment of dogs, AKC would deem this prejudicial to the sport of purebred dogs and to the best interests of the American Kennel Club," Peterson added. "Proof of that conviction shall be grounds for the immediate suspension of all American Kennel Club privileges for a length of time to be determined by the board of directors."

Those privileges include entering AKC events and registering dogs and litters with the club.

As part of the plea agreement, Pristatskiy was allowed to keep one male dog as a "pet," but Irwin said local animal welfare officials would monitor the situation to ensure he's following state dog law.

The SPCA charges $100 for dog adoptions, a price that includes neutering, vaccinations and microchip implantation, Irwin said.

The shelter has approved applicants on a waiting list for Yorkshire terriers, according to Irwin. Those applicants will be contacted first to see if they're still interested in a dog before the shelter reviews the hundreds of applications it has received since the seizure.

None of the dogs likely will be adopted immediately, she said. The nine puppies are younger than 7 weeks old, the minimum age to be adopted.  "We're very happy for this outcome," Irwin added. "It means we can make permanent arrangements for the dogs and that is what's important."

Update 3/31/09:  Pristatskiy has pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge.

Executive director Anne Irwin says the guilty plea is good news because the owner turned the dogs over to the shelter.  "It means we can concentrate on doing what the dogs need, which is get them ready to go into new homes, and we don’t have to worry about holding them for months wondering whether we’ll get to keep them at the end of a court case.”

Pristatskiy pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty and one count of having an unlicensed kennel. Each count carried a $100 fine.

(Photo's courtesy of KYW Newsradio 1060)

Reference:

The Intelligencer

Bucks County Courier Times

KYW Newsradio 1060