Hundreds Of Animals Removed From Area Farm
Humane Society Officials Call Situation Puppy Mill
POSTED: 12:10 pm CDT June 25,
2008
UPDATED: 7:33 pm CDT June 25,
2008
LYLES, Tenn. -- Officers begin removing hundreds of dogs from what the Humane Society called a puppy mill in Hickman County.
Video: 700 Animals Rescued From FarmAuthorities said the raid at the farm of Patricia Adkisson was the largest in Tennessee's history. The investigation was so massive, officials said it could take a couple of days.About 700 animals were found at Pine Bluff Kennels. Officials called it a puppy mill. Most of the dogs were smaller breeds.Officials and volunteers found about 200 puppies. The rest of the dogs were used for breeding.The Humane Society was called in on Wednesday to help with removing the animals and to assess their health.The animals will be taken to a nearby facility to be housed until an investigation is completed.All of the animals were housed in various buildings throughout the 92-acre property. Many of them were without water and living in cages covered in feces.Some of the dogs were dead, and others were close, officials said."Skin conditions, eye injuries and broken bones," said District Attorney General Kim Helper.Adkisson was charged in 1998 with 195 counts of animal neglect and cruelty after police and animal officials said they found hundreds of malnourished dogs and puppies on her property.Three convictions stemming from the 1998 charges were overturned in 2001 when an appeals court found that police had improperly searched her property, which violated her constitutional rights.Helper said she didn’t want what happened in the last case to happen again."We want to make sure that if criminal charges are filed in this case that we have a successful prosecution," she said.No arrests have been made, and no charges have been filed, but both could be on the way after all of the animals are evaluated."This was something that was way beyond what we were capable of handling," said a local official.The Humane Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals helped to arrange the manpower for the raid and housing for all the animals.There is no animal control in Hickman County, so the animals will be kept at the temporary shelter.If charges are filed and if the owner relinquishes ownership, a lot of the dogs will have to be placed with local and national chapters of the Humane Society.Officials said that a lot of the puppies were sold on the Internet, so a lot of the people who bought the puppies had no idea the conditions from which they came.The Humane Society said that when you buy a puppy, make sure you know where it comes from.The owner of Pine Bluff Kennels could face one criminal count for each animal. Cats, goats, donkeys, horses and parrots were also found on the property.Puppy mills are a violation of Tennessee's animal cruelty laws.
Video: 700 Animals Rescued From FarmAuthorities said the raid at the farm of Patricia Adkisson was the largest in Tennessee's history. The investigation was so massive, officials said it could take a couple of days.About 700 animals were found at Pine Bluff Kennels. Officials called it a puppy mill. Most of the dogs were smaller breeds.Officials and volunteers found about 200 puppies. The rest of the dogs were used for breeding.The Humane Society was called in on Wednesday to help with removing the animals and to assess their health.The animals will be taken to a nearby facility to be housed until an investigation is completed.All of the animals were housed in various buildings throughout the 92-acre property. Many of them were without water and living in cages covered in feces.Some of the dogs were dead, and others were close, officials said."Skin conditions, eye injuries and broken bones," said District Attorney General Kim Helper.Adkisson was charged in 1998 with 195 counts of animal neglect and cruelty after police and animal officials said they found hundreds of malnourished dogs and puppies on her property.Three convictions stemming from the 1998 charges were overturned in 2001 when an appeals court found that police had improperly searched her property, which violated her constitutional rights.Helper said she didn’t want what happened in the last case to happen again."We want to make sure that if criminal charges are filed in this case that we have a successful prosecution," she said.No arrests have been made, and no charges have been filed, but both could be on the way after all of the animals are evaluated."This was something that was way beyond what we were capable of handling," said a local official.The Humane Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals helped to arrange the manpower for the raid and housing for all the animals.There is no animal control in Hickman County, so the animals will be kept at the temporary shelter.If charges are filed and if the owner relinquishes ownership, a lot of the dogs will have to be placed with local and national chapters of the Humane Society.Officials said that a lot of the puppies were sold on the Internet, so a lot of the people who bought the puppies had no idea the conditions from which they came.The Humane Society said that when you buy a puppy, make sure you know where it comes from.The owner of Pine Bluff Kennels could face one criminal count for each animal. Cats, goats, donkeys, horses and parrots were also found on the property.Puppy mills are a violation of Tennessee's animal cruelty laws.- Popular WSMV Slideshows
- Slideshow: Top 10 Most Commonly Used Passwords
- Slideshow: Red-Hot Redheaded Celebrity Women
- Slideshow: How To Save Money When Dining Out
Copyright 2008 by WSMV.com. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Got a story idea? E-mail newstips to news@wsmv.com or call the newsroom 24/7 at 615-353-2231.
