For Immediate Release:
August 2, 2023
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
Bolivar, Mo. – Armed with damning U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports recording the condition of dirty, matted dogs surrounded by feces at a regional puppy mill run by Teresa Rauch, PETA sent a letter today to Polk County Prosecuting Attorney Keaton Ashlock asking him to examine and submit suitable charges versus those accountable for this disregard.
According to a just-released report, on June 16 a USDA vet discovered 2 dogs with “dried fecal matter” in their fur, which, the representative kept in mind, might trigger matting, inflamed skin, and problem defecating. And on March 23, the exact same vet had actually discovered another dog with “excessively” matted fur, 3 dogs caged in the middle of their own waste, 15 dogs who were “wet and dirty,” and 4 dogs who were restricted next to puddled water.
“Puppies in pet stores come from miserable mills like this one, where the dogs are treated like cheap equipment and left to languish in squalor,” says PETA Vice President of Evidence Analysis Daniel Paden. “PETA urges Polk County authorities to prosecute those responsible for this neglect and calls on everyone to avoid the stores that keep operations like this one in business. Always adopt—never buy animals.”
PETA is pursuing charges under state law due to the fact that the USDA doesn’t render relief or help to animals throughout its assessments and these infractions bring no federal criminal or civil charges.
PETA—whose slogan checks out, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more details on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please check out PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Ashlock follows.
The Honorable Keaton Ashlock
Polk County Prosecuting Attorney
Dear Mr. Ashlock:
I hope this letter discovers you well. I’m composing to demand that your workplace (and the correct law-enforcement firm, as you consider proper) examine and, as ideal, file criminal charges versus those accountable for overlooking dogs at a breeding center run by Teresa Rauch at 4026 S. 110th Rd. near Bolivar. PETA hopes detectives will go to the center with a vet who has proficiency in canine health and well-being so that they can determine any animals in requirement of care and opine on the conditions of and for the roughly 150 animals there.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) vet recorded disregard at the center in the connected reports. On June 16, the vet discovered that 2 Pomeranians had “dried fecal matter” caught in their hair, which they composed “can result in matting, skin irritation, and can even hinder” defecation.
On March 23, the vet discovered that a 3rd dog had “excessively matted hair along her back, on her tail, and down her back legs” and kept in mind that this “can be painful.” The exact same day, the vet discovered 15 dogs who were “wet and dirty,” 3 dogs caged with “an excessive amount of fecal material,” and 4 dogs restricted near standing water.
These findings might breach Missouri’s restriction versus animal disregard, RSMo § 578.009, which needs that people supply animals in their custody with “adequate care.” RSMo § 578.005 specifies that term to consist of “shelter and health care as necessary to maintain good health.” The USDA renders no help or relief whatsoever to animals on website, and these reports bring no criminal or civil charges and don’t preempt criminal liability under state law for acts of animal disregard. If you’d like to learn more about the USDA’s findings, please see the contact details for its workplace in Riverdale, Maryland, here.
Thank you for your time and factor to consider and for the hard work that you do every day. Please let us understand if we can help you.
Sincerely,
Daniel Paden
Vice President of Evidence Analysis
Cruelty Investigations Department
PETA
