ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide. Founded in 1992, ANIMAL PEOPLE has no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. |
This site built and maintained by: GREANVILLE ASSOCIATES and CRESCENT COMMUNICATIONS • Rev. 6.1.05 Copyright ANIMAL PEOPLE, INC. 1992--2005
 |
 |
ESSENTIAL DESTINATIONS
|
OCTOBER 2005
Rescuers fight pet thieves & pet theft allegations
GONZALES, Louisiana––Rumors flew at the Hurricane Katrina/Rita animal care centers about dogfighters trucking away pit bull terriers by the dozen, but rescuers Walter and Faye Peters of Contented Critters in Makinen, Minnesota, were apparently the first suspected “pet thieves” apprehended by law enforcement.
Walter and Faye Peters “could face charges of possessing stolen property or transporting stolen goods across state lines,” Duluth News-Tribune staff writer Janna Goerdt reported on September 22, after the Duluth Animal Shelter seized 12 dogs and a kitten that they allegedly took out of Louisiana without authorization.
Another Contended Critters volunteer who had misgivings called the Duluth police, who intercepted the Peterses as they entered town, Goerdt wrote.
North Shore Animal League America operations director Paul Greene on September 14 had a somewhat similar experience, albeit more rapidly resolved.
Greene “arrived in Tylertown, Mississippi to assist Jeff Dorson of the Humane Society of Louisiana,” Greene e-mailed. “Our mobile unit took animals who looked as if they were owned, i.e. had a collar or were altered, and took them to the HSUS facility in Hattiesberg so they could be logged [with Petfinder]. They were refused admission,” Greene said, “although they were allowed to walk the animals. The reason given was that the animals were considered ‘stolen,’” having not been entered into the data system before leaving Louisiana, “and what needed to happen was to get the animals to a Louisiana facility, as dictated by Louisiana law.
“However,” Green continued, “the whole reason the animals were brought to the Humane Society of Louisiana temporary headquarters in Mississippi was that they were refused entry at the Lamar-Dixon rescue center at Gonzales, Louisiana. The animals suffered in 100-degree heat because of all this red tape,” Greene fumed.
“Also,” Greene added, “HSUS shared the fact that any vets assisting animals without prior approval [from Louisiana and Mississippi veterinary authorities] are at risk of losing their license.”
Eventually the Louisiana and Mississippi veterinary boards expedited the process of credentialing outside vets who came to help, and state officials gained confidence that the major humane organizations were making every effort to reunite pets with their people.
Front-line rescuers, however, remained vigilant.
“The majority of the dogs were pit bulls,” observed Lamar-Dixon volunteer Dana Forbes, of Houston. “I saw several who were glaringly scarred from fighting. One had a lot of fresh wounds. In my opinion, many of these dogs were better off for having been separated from their owners, even though they will probably end up being euthanized. I was concerned about the number of people walking through and looking at the dogs who looked more like dogfighters than doting people looking for Fido.”
Agreed Shannon Martin, who with her husband Mark managed the Disaster Response Animal Rescue center at the Winn-Dixie parking lot on the fringe of New Orleans, “We’re seeing much in the way of low-down dirty scum stealing pits for fighting. Katrina took away a huge money source for these meanies. I think they are a little irritated to lose their bread and butter,” as dogs chained in yards were among the first casualties of the flooding.
Opposite to the monetary motive, Martin noted, was that “Some rescuers feel like an animal’s savior. They bond with the animal and want to keep the animal close. I have heard some referring to this as stealing,” Martin acknowledged, in cases where the rescuers smuggled the animals out of the rescue centers to take home.
“I’m not sure I agree,” Martin continued. “It’s such a fine line. Most rescuers came to save animals. I can’t imagine tolerating these conditions just to procure a new pet.
“Reunification is the ultimate goal,” Martin affirmed. “Unfortunately for many of these animals that won’t be possible. Animals have been found miles from their homes, carried away by the storm surge, or in neighbors’ houses. Then there are the animals found wandering with no tags or collars and nowhere near a residence. It’s almost impossible to document these guys. Yet, I hear constantly how groups are not documenting. It’s ridiculous.”
The fate of exotic pets who were transported without adequate identification and record-keeping also became a concern. HSUS and the ASPCA on September 24 warned staff and other rescue centers against releasing exotic birds to an organization called 911 Parrot Alert. Rescue volunteers including Aid for Animals founder Jeannette Ferro, of Baker, Louisiana, discovered that the organization lacked IRS nonprofit status and relevant operating permits more than a week earlier, and raised questions about the care and destinations of the birds that 911 Parrot Alert was taking in. However, Ferro’s September 16 written summary of the situation apparently did not reach the rescue center directors until ANIMAL PEOPLE received it eight days later, verified some of Ferro’s allegations, and relayed the Ferro correspondence to HSUS director of animal sheltering Kate Pullen, who followed up immediately.
Equipment theft afflicted both the Lamar-Dixon and Hattiesburg rescue centers until secure perimeter fencing and guards were posted around the animal care areas. Humane Society of the U.S. vice president for companion animals Martha Armstrong told ANIMAL PEOPLE that the most brazen scam at Lamar-Dixon involved a man impersonating an Environmental Protection Agency inspector, who tried to “confiscate” large numbers of animal carrying crates on the pretext that federal law permitted using each one just once.