They operate under the name of Rainbow Kennels. Maybe officials might want to check out property they own in Cambridge. It's 2040 Dailsville Rd.
This terrible news is getting statewide coverage and I would not be surprised if it went to the national news services. I would be interested in if they have been charged yet. It takes a really disgusting individual to treat defenseless animals this way.
Publishers Notes: There have been so many comments coming through asking when these people will be charged. LOOK, I have been publishing one article after another from public officials explaining the process.
Here's the deal. This is a very serious matter that is being handled just like a child abuse case. You DO NOT step in immediately and arrest someone without having all your evidence and charges in order. This isn't ONE case, it's 300+!
I have been in contact several times a day with key players on this matter and I can assure you they are working as fast as they can. Every single news station have also explained the situation in detail, yet people do not seem to be listening.
I'm confident once they are in good health they will be available for adoption and all of us will let the public know they are available. I can guarantee from our readership alone, every one of those dogs are spoken for anyway and I'm sure there's a waiting list.
In the mean time, RELAX! The abuse is OVER and these animals are in very good hands. Charges will be filed soon enough.
47 comments:
Why is it that they said the former Executive Director ignored this issue??
Also remember that all information leaked to the public, names etc will make choosing a jury that much harder. Let the system work
Under federal law breeders are required to register w/the USDA. The list is posted online. They aren't on it.
I can tell you first-hand that the SA and LEOs have been at the HS for the past two days. The new Director is busting his tail (pardon the pun) as are all the staff and volunteers. If you keep up with the HS, you would know he's only been there 3 weeks and is not from this area. He's doing a wonderful job considering the mess he walked into plus a case of this magnitude.
The community must keep in mind that the care of the dogs comes FIRST. Each dog must be photographed and medically evaluated AFTER custody has been established. It must be done quickly to prolong further suffering. They ARE the evidence and they are living and breathing and in need of care. They are not a gun or knife that can sit in an evidence bag.
The HS and Animal Control are TWO DIFFERENT ENTITIES, but share the building. The HS does not have the authority to investigate or charge animal abuse. They get to see the aftermath and try to fix it. Both jobs SUCK because they see the horrific things that humans are capable of against a living being that can not speak for or defend itself. They watch wonderful dogs go without a home because of BSL or social stigma. I don't care how well a kennel or shelter is run, it is NOT a place where an animal will thrive long-term. The cycle never stops. Could you do their job day in, day out? If you say yes, then I expect to see you volunteering some of your time to look those animals in the face every time you go home and they don't. Or the look on your face when you come in and find out that some of them aren't there anymore....for whatever reason.
If you're angry, direct your anger into something productive like demanding answers from the county as to why this was not caught earlier. Come together to draft legislation to prevent the sale of puppy mill puppies at pet stores. Create or participate in outreach about spay/neuter opprtunities. Encourage people that want "pure bred" dogs to try a breed-specific local or national rescue FIRST. The options are endless.
Thank you, 10:02!
This was ignored for at least 6 years and by more than one director. There is another place just like this operating in Parsonsburg that has been reported over and over again but no one has ever gone to help.
Thank you for the information, and I pray each dog finds a forever home. And maybe this will spark regular checks on such operations, apparently neighbors had called but not as often as they should have. Had I been their neighbor I would have made the news aware of it, the police and states attorney office until action was taken. I don't understand why it took years, you do not accumulate 310 dogs over night!
to 11:34 you need to report parsonsburg AGAIN in light of this awful tragedy I'll bet they will check it out now
If you report and no response Keep telling and keep moving up who you tell
Drop the address here 11:34.
"They watch wonderful dogs go without a home because of BSL or social stigma."
A good post except the above quoted sentence is not true. There is NO BSL (breed specific legislation) in MD law. I will say the municipality of Port Deposit as well as PG county bans pit bulls and in Ridgley they are declared dangerous. To claim they go without homes because of BSL is simply false. They go without homes because the fact is there are very few suitable homes for them and most problems with them occur because they are adopted out to unsuitable homes. A disabled woman in Baltimore was able to adopt one as a puppy. Evidently she treated the dog wonderfully. He went on to kill her. I blame those who allowed a strong energetic breed to be adopted by a person wheelchair bound. This is where the problems lie and shelters are now finding themselves being sued left and right over this. Shelters and rescues are adopting them out indiscriminately just to make themselves look good over adoption numbers all to the detriment of the dogs.
Yes agreed. 11:34 drop the name or address and everyone can call and I'm sure they will handle it then
I wish I could remember the address but I left the shore quite some time ago. They had Jack Russell's Bichons Poodles to name a few and they were housed in barns. Every time I reported it I was told they were aware and that there was nothing they could do. I rescued 2 from a man that bought two and they were so unsocialized he let them loose in his apartment and could never catch them again. I went over and trapped them. It was months before they could comfortably be handled. They are both now in wonderful homes thanks to Baywater Animal Rescue in Cambridge
Could it be the place in Willards where a few years ago officials seized something like 30 dogs? I don't know about a barn being involved but they were stuffed in several of those outdoor dog kennel things. I can't remember the breeds but I do remember them being small dogs.
The top 5 reasons why dogs end up in shelters are lack of training, moving, not enough time for pet, cost and then a health issue.
The lack of training goes hand in hand with not enough time. Too many dogs are left alone all day many having to stay in cages where a lot are put at night too. This is not a good life for a dog who most are high energy. When they are let out when the people get home from work they are hyper and destructive. Then there's the issue of "one size fits all dog training." This is the worst way to train a dog. A breed has specific traits that must be taken into consideration. For instance socialization. Some breeds have an inherent trait that makes them not like to meet strangers or like other dogs. When you try to force a dog to do something their instincts are telling them not to do other problems manifest themselves.
I pray they spay and neuter them before they're adopted out. God know those poor babies don't need to be used for breeding purposes EVER AGAIN!!!
This property is 18 acres and the home is about 1900 sq ft. It sits off the road. There's a shed type of building that's 42 sq ft and another out building w/several garage doors that's 220 sq ft. It is bordered by some acreage that is either in an easement or is owned by a conservation organization.
After what I've been reading I have a very bad taste in my mouth about both Wicomico's animal control AND the Humane Society. I almost wish I had never given them $200 and had taken it to Somerset instead. People have made complaints since 2011 about the dogs and they were warned in 2009 about the Murphy's by Dorchester animal control officer. Those dogs are in the condition they are in because of animal control AND the humane society. Both should be real real proud of themselves. They contributed to the cruelty of these dogs just as much as the Murphy's did. I'm absolutely disgusted.
I listened to local news tonight on TV and from what they reported I learned that these same people were charged in the Cambridge area and that Wicomico animal was warned. It sounds like the only people who ignore these animals (or turned their heads the other way) was the local dog control. Wicomico cannot say they were not forewarned nor can they say that neighbors gave them every opportunity to go in and investigate. If what has been reported on this is accurate..then the people that were advised 7 years ago need to retire or need to be replaced. They let this happen to these poor animals.
That is protocol for ANY cat or dog at the HS.
Yeah 7:08 too bad it's not "protocol" for them to keep an eye on people who were previously found to be irresponsible animal owners after being warned by another county's animal control officer. They need to change their name to the Neglectful Society of Wicomico County! They make me sick. Now they are trying to act like they are heros or something when they directly contributed to the situation by being incompetent. If anyone is still there from 2009 they should be held accountable. And that "director" of animal control David Fitzgerald, that fat useless POS. He needs to be fired immediately.
6:53 I saw it too and it makes me sick. Imagine how many of those dogs were born in those 7 years and how this could have been prevented. I also agree with 6:40 in that the remiss officials contributed to this by not doing their jobs.
10:02 still spewing his misinformation. The old HSWC is the new animal control director
they are housed in the same building. the old HSWC director claims to have inspected the breeder facility and claimed nothing was wrong. Then he left the HSWC and went on to be the animal control director. He is related to the HSWC board members.
So 10:02 has been on every single article spewing this misinformation and blowing smoke to detract from the fact that there are games going on between HSWC and Animal Control
This person is making a furious effort to cover up the true and real information on every single post concerning this matter and I wonder why. Whats the pay off. Whats the relationship?
Fact is the previous HSWC director was involved in this and is currently involved in this.
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO HIDE 10:02?????
10:02 if the HS does not have the authority to investigate, why did David Fitzgerald go out there an investigate it? It was openly reported on the new that he did and he claimed there were no issues. It was also openly reported by the neighbors that he did and that they felt he was not honest about the situation.
Why are you lying?
So you are angry at the WCHS for what? Taking care of the animals once they were seized? Because that is all they are allowed to do....take care of the animals given to them. How can you find fault in that?
The money you donated stays with the WCHS. They are keeping the bulk of the puppy mill puppies and will be footing the bill for their needs that will extend beyond what the material donations will cover. Truckloads of donations also went to the organizations who took some of the pups.
For the love of God, people! How many times do you need to be told that the Humane Society IS NOT Animal Control! Our HS is NOT neglectful. They only take care of the animals! Be pissed off at AC and Fitzgerald, but leave the HS out of your wrath. They don't deserve it!
Court documents obtained from the Dorchester Co. case say the animal control officer informed the Humane Society about the people. Is that not true? If true the Humane Society then had a duty to make sure these people weren't doing this again. Yes they are neglectful. They should have been on animal control to make checks on these people. Plus I heard some of the people who made complaints made them to the Humane society who should have forwarded them to AC and followed up to make sure AC did their job.
So "For the Love of God" take some responsibility why in the hell don't you!
"The old HSWC is the new animal control director
they are housed in the same building. the old HSWC director claims to have inspected the breeder facility and claimed nothing was wrong. Then he left the HSWC and went on to be the animal control director. He is related to the HSWC board members"
How about telling us the names of these POS? Every single one of them is as guilty of animal abuse as the Murphy's are. What a useless bunch of garbage this group is.
This was obviously a very much preventable situation. People have been complaining to both Animal Control and the Humane Society for years and I believe several even called the sheriff's dept but were directed to animal control.
Doesn't the Humane Society forward any complaints over to Animal Control? If not then there's major incompetence going on.
You guys are completely obsessed with this Puppy Mill situation. While I feel for the dogs, where was all this public outcry when complaints were being made? Doesn't this couple have some neighbors? Surely more than two people were aware of this situation given the time it was in operation.
Why not help out and instead of writing endless comments with the same crap in them, go out to Petsmart and buy some toys or asked for supplies instead of sitting there in your comfy armchairs monday morning quarterbacking on the blame game. Do something useful for a change. I am sure the HS in the three counties that took these babies in would more than love to have you come in and love on them or give them baths or play with them. Put your actions where your mouths are and do something useful with yourselves.
8:10/8:12...First, I am a she, not a he. Second, I have NO affiliation with the WCHS or AC or Fitzgerald and I am NOT a part of the good ol boy network. I am not hiding anything or covering for anyone. I am a member of this community who walked into the HS and asked them what they needed. I've been there ALL day EVERY day since Monday. I've seen the care that staff and volunteers have given the puppy mill dogs as well as the dogs that were already in their care. I've seen them trying to handle all the things thrown at them this week.... from the non-stop traffic in the door to the non-stop phone calls to trying to work around piles and piles of donations to the press conferences to trying to handle a shelter that was suddenly way over capacity with dogs in varying stages of neglect. I've seen dogs rocked in human arms, seen the joy on their face when the puppies were born soon after they arrived and I've talked to hundreds of people who were just as angry as you.
I am an animal advocate who understands that there is NO WAY to fix the past. You can only prevent it going forward. The WCHS is under a new Director and he walked into a shelter that has had little confidence from the community because of the actions and attitude of the FORMER Director. Then he had the puppy mill bust added to it. He's been there three freakin' weeks. He's handled the administration of care of these animals admirably since he became aware of it.
My presence on these posts is to defend those people at the WCHS who are being vilified by people like YOU who want to keep pushing the narrative that the entire HS was in some way responsible for the lack of action regarding the puppy mill. I don't know who was titularly in charge of AC or the HS when all the complaints were made over the years. If Fitzgerald made the decisions, which he admits to, take HIM to task for it. The legal power to DO SOMETHING was solely in the hands of AC ADMINISTRATION....take them to task for it. If you want change and responsibility, talk to the BOD of the HS and express your concerns. Talk to Culver. Get better or new laws passed. Talk to the AC people who do the dirty work and find out why their hands are tied.
Frankly, I don't give a fig AT THIS TIME who dropped what ball. Once I know the animals are legally in the hands of the HS and are getting the care and love they need, THEN I'll worry about who to blame. The HS and AC are in the same building and have a working partnership but their roles are CLEARLY defined. Get that through your skull. Redirect your energy to something besides sitting behind a keyboard biatching and pointing fingers. You're doing exactly what you accuse others of.....NOTHING.
9:43 The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Not holding each and every person responsible only allows situations like this to happen over and over and over and over again whether it's those whose are directly responsible or those indirectly like AC and the HS. Anyone who was w/AC or was the director and a board member of the HS for the past 7 years is to blame. As far as the HS itself, the news is reporting that they were told about these people so if that is true to say they haven't any responsibility for the condition of these dogs is beyond absurd. Not the volunteers but certainly any directors during that time period, paid staff and the board members. They had a duty to be on AC and if AC wasn't cooperating then they had a duty to go to the county executive with concerns.
I know in other areas of MD it is not uncommon for when the non profit humane society or shelter gets a complaint, the director goes and checks it out accompanied by a sheriff's deputy. Is this not the practice in Wicomico Co? Most animal control divisions are under the control of the Sheriff's dept and then they would get animal control involved if the animal was found to be neglected or hurt or in conditions such as no shelter or water to transport and do the report. The OC animal control is under the direction of the OCPD. Who oversees Wicomico County animal control?
9:48 and that makes you part of the problem, not caring who dropped the ball.
You make yourself out to be the hero, oh look at me and all that I have done.
YOU are the one who immediately started with the rant of who was to blame and who was not.
You are a liar and the ONLY reason you would be on every single post spewing your tainted and misleading message is because you DO have a connection. And now the only thing you are doing is covering your behind for being outed.
There are MANY MANY people helping not just poor old you.
And you can't not change what you do not acknowledge.
You rant about making sure these people are ARRESTED but turn a blind eye at your beloved organizations complete and utter failure to stop this from happening when they had the chance too and then say ... oh it doesn't matter who was wrong???? Forget the past and move forward?????
You are a complete liar and it does matter who screwed this up. It does matter that you dropped the ball. Just ask any one of the 300+ dogs how long they suffered because you screwed up. And now you want to be the HERO for finally doing the right thing????? Are you kidding me???
9:48 How do you know what we, the community have and have not done, donated, assisted with?
Just because someone comments on here, doesn't mean they have done nothing.
Who the heck are you? Rude and arrogant. All your posts have been nothing but propaganda
Lets all just turn a blind eye to the HS failure and make them the champions for fixing what the messed up in the first place? Is that your agenda?
9:48 you are insulting people because it was revealed that the HS and AC messed up and created this situation? Employee? Family member? Whats the connection?
9:48 too bad they did not give them the care they needed 6 years ago. Your rant clearly indicates that you are connected to the "good old boys" as you put it.
The HS and AC are connected by FAMILY , can you get that thru your skull??
The HS board and the AC director are connected by family
The old HS director who messed this up is connected by family?
Can you get that thru your skull?
What part of the Gordy - Fitzgerald family connection do you want to refuse to acknowledge and lie to the public about?
You insistence to try and defend your lie is insulting to the community you get your taxpayer funds from .
9:48 liar liar pants on fire.
9:48 you spent all day on this blog responding and posting lies. So to say that you are the hero of the day down at the HS is a complete lie. Should I list all the timestamps of your posts? Like starting at 10AM. could not have been that much help to them when you were spending your day on a keyboard.
9:48 take it from someone who used to work there the place is poorly run the animal control officers don't go to any kind of academy its all on the job training they have a new officer there he's been there for about a month now and is all ready riding around by himself that should tell you something,as for the fake animal control officer monar who tells there boss if you give me a drug test I will fail because I smoke pot and think she does not have to worry about taking one because she does the drug burn every 3 months well pot does not stay in your system that long the old director didn't have a backbone maybe the new director has one he should give everyone there a drug test have will fail what intill she gets in a accident big law suit coming there way soon, as for the new animal control officer watch your back buddy don't make officer kimberly monar mad or you will be out the door, good old boy system at its best also why am at it some of the things that have been donate have gone to someone home that works there and this is not a lie ive seen it with my own eyes in the past so to the knew director good luck you've got some bad apples in the bunch not all of them are bad just a few also you should tell them to cut down on there 15 smoke breaks aday and answer the phones when people call
Well all I can say is the Gordy Fitzgerald family needs to go. With horrid uncaring incompetent degenerates like them an animals needs no other enemies. How often is a HS/AC informed of a potential problem breeder moving into it's jurisdiction? I bet this was the only time it's occurred and it's sickening that no one made these people a priority esp since they were getting complaints. I guess it didn't ring a bell with those morons that "hey we were told about the unscrupulous breeding habits of the Murphy's and now neighbors and others are calling in complaints so we better keep an eye out on them."
That's interesting 7:16. Not so long ago someone right on this blog was saying what a worthless POS she is. Goes to show how most rumors turn out to be 100% on the mark. She is as guilty as abuse and neglect as the former owner's of the dogs and needs to be held accountable. The officials who allowed this to go on for so long need to be treated just as harsh as the Murphy's and deserve punishment. Maybe the next animal control officers will then take their jobs seriously.
When the Murphy's moved to the area and the HS was informed of them it was 2009. Linda Lugo was director of the HS then. After Lugo left Fitzgerald took over. Bonnie Gordy's been the board's chair the entire time.
Now here's the interesting part. Form 990 asks for a brief description of the non profit's mission and activities. The HS self describes themselves as "working to make a difference in the lives of animals and the people who love and care for them, and is dedicated to relieving the pain and suffering of animals through education and direct intervention." "DIRECT INTERVENTION!."
In 2015 (the last yr posted online) the board consisted of Bonnie Gordy, Charlotte Littleton, Bill Givans, Kristy Truitt, TA Phillips, Matt Likovich, JC Richardson, all of whom spent a whopping ONE WHOLE HOUR A WEEK involved in HS business. NO wonder the ball was dropped.
What a shoddy run organization run by unconcerned morons. It's no wonder this puppy mill was able to operate for so long.
This Bonnie Gordy sounds like a real winner herself. What kind of board president puts in one 1 hour a week and allows others on the board to do the same. She obviously could care less about the welfare of animals and needs to move on and let someone who actually takes the position seriously do the job.
There needs to be an investigation into Wic Animal control. Just their sheer lack of entries on MD Judiciary Case search compared to other areas like Wor shows that they must be sitting around playing tiddle winks instead of doing the job they are paid to do.
Other areas are issuing citations and fines for dog not having tags, dogs running lose etc and collecting much needed revenue while Wic Co animal control allows puppy mills to operate.
Way to go Dorchester County Stet's Attorney! Another case screwed up!
I FEEL for the New H.S. Director----what a mess he
stepped into before he even got the chance to learn
more about his new job. Hopefully he
will "look with a 3rd eye" to what's been going
on out there. All I can say is --document EVERYTHING
you tell employees to do----have people write out
their complaints, receipts given & signed by H.S.employees. Back up,
Back up, Back up & more back up is needed----no more of this
" you said or didn't say !"
Animal Control should do the same for the Public when
a complaint is made. There is NOOOOO accountability there.
And a definite yes, the former H.S. Directors should be
held accountable as well as Animal Control for the needless
suffering these animals have been made to go through for
their apparent lack of total neglect in getting the animals
the help needed when it was reported.
I hope & pray people will stand up----require a better run
H.S. & Animal Control for the welfare of this County & the
taxpayers who support them.
Best of Luck to our New Director & keep supporting him in hopes
he will get things turned around out there!!!!
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