Sixty-two miniature Pinschers were rescued from a puppy mill in Riverside, California on March 3, 2009. With the assistance of CAPS, Good Dog Animal Rescue exposed the deplorable conditions in a facility owned by Linda Smith.
“Having assisted the rescue, I can only describe it this way: Silence of the Lambs. The stench was eye-stinging. The dogs were crammed into overcrowded runs and cages and were living on a carpet of feces, eating and drinking out of buckets filled with feces and urine. Their nails were grown into their foot pads, their mouths are in advanced stages of gum disease, many having lost all their teeth. The dogs were infested with fleas and were being eaten alive by ticks,” Carole Raphaelle Davis, CAPS West Coast Director, posted in her blog, Jinky, the Dog of a Hollywood Wife.
According to Davis’ blog, Smith claims to be a champion, miniature Pinscher breeder, but the investigation raised multiple questions concerning her devotion to the dogs’ well-being. Evidence suggests crude debarking operations, a painful and dangerous procedure that prevents dogs from barking by removing tissue from the animal’s vocal folds.
The Riverside Animal Control office admitted having an open case on Smith but no charges were ever filed. Supposedly, Smith’s facilities were inspected on February 25, 2009 but no irregularities were found. According to officials, it is routine procedure to give such places a “heads up,” a tactic that clearly impedes Riverside Animal Control from uncovering the truth.
“This is clearly an actionable case of animal abuse and we are outraged by the laissez-faire attitude of Riverside Animal Care and Control. The remaining twenty animals must be removed from Smith immediately and she must be charged,” said Davis.
For more info watch the following documentary by Carly Lynn about the rescue.
