Feds Find Dogs Neglected, Mutilated at Local Puppy Mill; PETA Seeks Criminal Probe
For Immediate Release:
August 7, 2023
Contact:
Brittney Williams 202-483-7382
PETA has received damning U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports documenting that dogs’ fur was matted with feces, dogs were left panting inside a sweltering building, and some were painfully disfigured at Mary’s Precious Puppies, a local puppy mill operated by Mary Moore. In response, PETA sent a letter on Monday to Bourbon County Attorney Tiana McElroy asking her to investigate and file applicable charges against those responsible for the animals’ suffering and neglect.
According to the reports, on May 2, Moore admitted to a USDA veterinarian that she had wrapped bands around the tails of three puppies in order to cause the appendages to fall off—“a painful” mutilation, according to the veterinarian, who also found that more than a dozen dogs’ coats were “heavily matted,” including with dried and fresh feces. Another dog, Keeshond, was “not bearing any weight on his left front leg,” which is “a significant indicator of pain.” Weeks later, Keeshond was found to be lame in his right front leg and Moore failed to immediately consult a veterinarian, despite being ordered to do so. And on May 30, up to 20 dogs were found panting in a building where the temperature had reached 93.2 degrees.
“This breeding hellhole has treated dogs like cheap equipment and left them to languish in squalor,” says PETA Vice President of Evidence Analysis Daniel Paden. “PETA urges Bourbon County authorities to prosecute those responsible for these dogs’ suffering and encourages everyone never to buy animals from pet stores or breeders and to adopt from shelters instead.”
PETA is pursuing charges under state law because the USDA does not 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”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to McElroy follows.
August 7, 2023
The Honorable Tiana McElroy
Bourbon County Attorney
Dear Ms. McElroy:
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 Mary’s Precious Puppies, a breeding facility operated by Mary Moore at 1567 75th St. near Uniontown. PETA hopes investigators will visit the facility with a veterinarian who has expertise in canine health and welfare so that they can identify any animals in need of care and opine on the conditions of and for the approximately 28 animals there.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarians documented neglect at the facility in the attached reports. On May 2, Moore reportedly admitted to a veterinarian that she had wrapped bands around the tails of three puppies in order to cause the appendages to fall off, which is “a painful process,” according to the veterinarian. The veterinarian also found that 13 dogs’ coats were “heavily matted,” including with dried and fresh feces. Another dog, Keeshond, was “not bearing any weight on his left front leg,” which is “a significant indicator of pain.” Moore was ordered to resolve the issue of the 13 dogs’ matted coats by May 3.
But on May 3, USDA officials found that Moore had “not groomed any of the dogs.” They found five more dogs who were “seriously matted.” When four USDA officials arrived at Moore’s facility on May 4, they found brown debris—consistent with ear infections and other ailments—in the ear of one dog, who had evidently not received veterinary care for the condition. On May 30, up to 20 dogs were found panting in a building where the temperature had reached 93.2 degrees. The same day, Keeshond was found to be lame in his right front leg. Moore was ordered to have him examined by a veterinarian, but as of May 31, she “still [had] not consulted a veterinarian about” his latest ailment.
These findings may violate Kansas’ anti-cruelty statute, K.S.A. 21-6411. 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 USDA’s findings, please see the contact information for its office in Riverdale, Maryland, here. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel Paden
Vice President of Evidence Analysis
PETA
