Some of the dogs that were taken from the commercial breeding kennel now at the Humane Society.
The Humane Society has taken in 31 dogs that were seized from a k5 commercial breeder over the weekend. Nearly 100 dogs were taken from Ervin Zimmerman, owner of the kennel, in the 400 block of Metzler Road, West Earl Township, Lancaster County.The Humane League of Lancaster County took in 96 dogs and called the Humane Society of Berks County to help with the situation.
Zimmerman (don’t know if he is related to Elmer Zimmerman who shot 70 dogs this past July in Berks County) was cited for not operating with a kennel license from July 25th- Dec. 19th of this year. He has had past convictions of animal cruelty. He is now charged with 6 misdemeanor charges. Zimmerman’s commercial kennel is now closed!
It’s becoming obvious that the new PA dog law is having an impact on the kennels with more shutting down. This is great! Zimmerman has had unsatisfactory inpsections for some time, according to Jessie Smith, Special Deputy Secretary of the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. Last year he had 220 dogs kept in 50 cages. This is a puppymill.
That brings me to my point. This was not a hobby breeder, backyard breeder nor a reputable breeder. These dogs were not treated well. Some dogs have raw and splayed feet, bad teeth that are worn away. According the Reading Eagle article, the dogs at the Humane Society seem to be in fairly good condition and have decent dispositions. That is good.
I have to take exception with the one sentence I read – they (the Humane Society) are hoping they can find homes for these dogs in time for the holidays particularly giving them as presents to kids for Christmas.
First it is never a good idea to give a pet for Christmas to your child unless this is a family decision. Anyone who works in an animal shelter knows this truth so well. I have seen it myself. When I worked at animal shelter, the staff and I saw firsthand how parents who would get pets at Christmas time for their kids only to return them a few months later. It is very sad. It’s not fair to the dog.
Second and perhaps more importantly, these dogs came from a commercial breeder. No one knows what long-term effects these dogs will experience or even short-term effects from living in a commercial kennel. These dogs will require people who have an undertanding of their special needs, not kids who want a puppy for Christmas.
This reminds me of the Animal Rescue League who had received twelve dogs from a breeder last month and held a lottery for the adoptees. These dogs are NOT your ordinary dogs who can be placed in homes without people who don’t understand special- needs dogs. To hold a lottery and to say the winners will be announced makes it sound like a contest. This is strange, indeed. The dog’s welfare should be what is most important.
I know both shelters want to find homes for these dogs. I realized they put a strain on their already- tight budgets. I get that. But one can’t be careless when adopting these special -needs dogs to homes. These aren’t your typical dogs.
If you are interested in adopting these dogs, please make sure you understand what you are getting yourself into. Be prepared for problems. According to Deb Haney, president of A Tail to Tell ,who rescues only puppymill dogs has told me that it can take many years before some of these commercial breeding dogs can trust people. They told me it takes alot of work on the owner’s part. You must be patient and understanding. And they don’t adopt their dogs out to just anyone.
Since we are most likely to see more kennels shutting down because of the new PA dog law, I feel a better approach should be implemented with all shelters to handle the adoption of these special-needs dogs.
Please think carefully before adopting one of these dogs. I trust the both animal shelters will be stringent to whom they adopt these special-needs dogs. At least, I hope so.