| Sue Wells & Lynette Rowe |
134 dogs seized from Canine Angels Rescue |
Dewy Rose, GA
Elbert Country |
May
9, 2006 |
(Photo courtesy of Diane
Cebula, Athens Banner-Herald) One of Georgia’s no-kill animal rescues
was ordered closed by the Department of Agriculture by June
3, 2006.
Jim
Willis whose essay “How Could You?” and whose best selling book “Pieces of
My Heart” has stepped in through his organization Tier Garden Sanctuary Trust
has been given custody of the animals so none of the 150+ will have to be
sent to kill shelters. Willis said that “the State’s treatment
of Canine Angels and its founder/director is “criminal”.
The
charges were totally unfounded and caused them to loose donor and volunteers
and adopter,” stated Willis who was flooded with information
that included eyewitness accounts and photographs about the sanctuary and
the excellent condition of the animals as well as suspicious action of the
authorities, especially the former animal control officer.
(Photo courtesy of Best Friends Network)
Sue Wells and Lynette Rowe were served 26 warrants
of animal cruelty by the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office on July 24th.
They were later released on bond. The two women maintain they were trying
to help cast-off and abandoned dogs. Now they each face 13 counts of animal
cruelty. Wells and Rowe started Canine Angels 6 years ago; they have saved
over 1,200 dogs, many of whom were elderly, ill or unsocialized. They
have been on the 19-acre property since 2001.
Willis further stated he thinks that Sue and Lynette have a real basis to sue
for damages. “Sue and Lynette have driven themselves to
exhaustion and the poorhouse saving those animals, restoring them to health
and basically taking over the responsibilities of the community and local
government for animal care. Instead of being praised for their efforts
and assisted, they’ve been persecuted. Sue was forced to agree to a
bad deal as the only chance to save these animals’ lives. Meanwhile,
there is illegal dog fighting going on don the road and the authorities are
ignoring that situation!” stated Willis.
Authorities
state that the issue is dozens of animals, including 134 dogs, 12 cats, a
pig, one tame wild boar and a horse. The animals were found suffering
from overcrowding, lack of food, water, and attention.
(Photo’s courtesy of Best
Friends Network)
Ms. Wells and Ms. Rowe are the former owners of
Northeast Georgia Canine Angels on Putnam Mill Road of Dewy Rose. Jim Willis of Tier Garden Sanctuary
Trust in North Carolina stated that the county went
without an animal shelter for two years and animal control was bringing them
animals. He also stated that they had a Board of Directors and were registered
as non-profit – starting out well, but because of the concerted effort to
bring them down they just got into trouble without the donations and volunteers
and adopters to help these women.
The
Elbert County Sheriff’s Office stated the Georgia Department of Agriculture
canceled their license and attempted to remove the animals. Mr. Willis assumed ownership of 134
dogs on May 30 so his trust could help fend off attempts to euthanize them.
Cassandra
Koster, a Field Officer with Kat 5, an animal rescue group formed after Hurricane
Katrina arrived in June to chaos and confusion.
She found animals scattered across 19 acres of land on Pulliman Road. After being denied
entrance to a mobile home on the property, Deputies obtained a search warrant
after Ms. Wells and Ms. Rowe left and locked the door
in July. After entry was made, the conditions were found to be horrible –
large amounts of dog feces and the strong smell of urine. Eleven dogs
were found inside without food or water. Four of them were in need of immediate
veterinary care.
Other
dogs suffered from mange, flea and tick infestations, infections of the eyes
and ears, and untreated wounds. Approximately 65 of the remaining animals
were shipped to the GraceWorks Foundation in New England. Volunteers were trying
to find homes for the rest.
(Photo’s courtesy of NegaCanineAngels)
Larry Roberts, an Atlanta businessman, who cofounded
KAT5 with Koster paid for Wells and Rowe to take 4 dogs up to an
animal sanctuary in Long Island NY in early July. Roberts has been paying the past-due
electric bills at the Dewy Rose facility since the end of June.
Canine
Angels first came under state scrutiny
in February 2004, when a complaint of overcrowding and inhumane conditions
prompted a state inspection. Officials asked Canine Angels to reduce its animal
population to fewer than 100 and to stop taking in animals. Yet by mid-2005,
there were an estimated 200 animals.
Animal
cruelty charges were filed against Roe and Wells last summer in connection
with a gravely ill and worm-infested Pomeranian allegedly found on the property,
- these charges were later dropped. The two women have disputed the
charges against them and Willis alleges that they were filed
by an animal control officer with a vendetta.
Over
time, the agriculture department issued 62 citations against Canine Angels,
and levied $15,000 in fines for unhygienic and inhumane conditions. Then in
May, 2006 the department entered into a consent agreement with Wells under
wish the citations and fines would be suspended, if she removed the dogs from
Canine Angels. The agriculture department had taken no action to ensure the
animals were being moved as of the 1st week of July 2006. In fact, Agriculture Commissioner
Tommy Irvin, noting that the "grass
had been cut" and the "dogs (were) being fed and watered".
"So I guess there's no real hurry to take care of it as long as we're
making progress"" is what an Atlanta newspaper was told by Irvin."
Willis has signed affidavits, photos and other proof that
the animal control officer involved and other state officials have acted improperly
and illegally. Willis also says that a recent
agriculture department inspection revealed no violations.
Wells
and Rowe surrendered to police on
Monday, July 24th and were being held in the Elbert County Jail, each with
$13,000 bonds.
After
the animals are placed, the campaign will continue to get the shelter license
restored to Canine Angels and to have the $15,000 in fines against them dropped.
Read
the essay “How Could You in our QUOTES section of our webpage at http://www.inhumane.org
Sign
the petition at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/neGAngel/petition.html
The
Rescue Efforts:
In
June volunteers prepared about
65 dogs and a dozen cats for transport to the northeast. The mass transport
is a cooperative effort of KAT5 and GraceWorks Foundation.
Nearly
a dozen dogs were removed from the property July 20th by the county animal
control because the animals needed medical care. Most have since been returned
and the few that have not are still under veterinary care. They are now available
for adoption.
As
of this writing, there are plans to move 57 dogs to an Atlanta-area veterinarian
with 31 going to the GraceWorks Foundation; a St. Simon's, GA based animal rescue organization
within a few days.
(Photo courtesy of PETA) Fifty more
of the dogs were transported to a no-kill organization in Connecticut, on Sunday, Aug. 6th.
References:
| Anderson Independent-Mail |
NegaCanineAngles |
| The Elbert County Sheriff’s
Office |
Muttshack |
| Dogster’s |
Best Friends Network |
| Athens Banner-Herald |
5 Star Dog |
| Tier Garden Sanctuary Trust |
Kat5 |
| PETA |
Athens World |