Feds Find Neglected Dogs Confined in Filth at Warren County Puppy Mill; PETA Seeks Criminal Probe
For Immediate Release:
December 3, 2024
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
A damning, just-released federal report reveals that a puppy mill near Roseville operated by Donna Frakes denied veterinary care to an ailing dog and confined puppies in filthy and severely crowded conditions. In response, PETA sent a letter today to Warren County State’s Attorney Thomas R. Siegel, asking him to investigate the facility—which confines approximately 206 dogs—and file applicable charges against those responsible for the neglect.
According to the report, on October 29, a federal inspector found one dog suffering from conjunctivitis in both of her eyes and red, scabbed skin with noticeable hair loss on her leg and torso—possible signs of potentially contagious health problems. Frakes hadn’t sought any veterinary care for the dog. The inspector also found 10 dogs and puppies crammed into three small enclosures that afforded them less space than the length of their own bodies, while seven more were confined in “excessively dirty” enclosures—which Frakes admitted hadn’t been cleaned in days.
“Filth, suffering, and neglect are business as usual at miserable puppy mills like this one, where animals are treated as nothing but commodities,” says PETA Vice President of Legal Advocacy Daniel Paden. “PETA is calling on Warren County authorities to prosecute those responsible and urges everyone never to buy any animal from a breeder or a pet store, which keep operations like this one in business.”
PETA is pursuing charges under state law because the USDA doesn’t render relief or aid to animals during its inspections and these violations carry no federal criminal or civil penalties.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Siegel follows.
December 3, 2024
The Honorable Thomas R. Siegel
Warren County State’s Attorney
Dear Mr. Siegel:
I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing to request that your office (and the proper law-enforcement agency, as you deem appropriate) investigate and, as suitable, file criminal charges against those responsible for neglecting dogs at a breeding facility operated by Donna Frakes at 412 90th St., near Roseville. PETA hopes investigators will visit the facility with a veterinarian who has expertise in canine health and welfare to identify any animals in need of care and opine on the conditions of and for approximately 206 dogs there.
On October 29, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspector found that a dog had conjunctivitis in both eyes. The dog was missing fur from her left hind leg and left torso, and the underlying skin was red and scabbed. Frakes had not sought veterinary care for the dog’s condition.
The same day, the inspector found at least 10 dogs kept in severely crowded enclosures. One 23-inch-long dog was crammed into an enclosure just 21 inches across. In another cage, four puppies who were 14 to 16 inches long were each allowed just 13.3 inches by 13.3 inches of floor space. A third cage afforded just 16.7 inches by 16.7 inches of floor space to each of five puppies who were up to 18 inches long.
The inspector also found seven puppies and dogs in “excessively dirty” enclosures that Frakes admitted hadn’t been cleaned in two days.
These findings appear to violate 510 ILCS 70/3 and/or 510 ILCS 70/3.01. The USDA renders no aid or relief whatsoever to animals on site, and these reports carry no criminal or civil penalties and don’t preempt criminal liability under state law for neglecting animals. If you’d like to learn more about the agency’s findings, please see the contact information for its office here. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel Paden
Vice President of Legal Advocacy
