4446 Route 247 in Gorham, NY, the approved site for the proposed large scale, puppy mill.

If you would like to see this stopped, voice your opinion to the Gorham Town Planning Board here. Please be firm in your opposition, but nice. Meanness will trivialize us and make them go ahead with it. You can also sign this petition here.

– Kenn

GORHAM, NEW YORK — Dog breeders who recently received approval to open a breeding facility on Route 247, north of the intersection of Lake to Lake Road, violated federal regulations at their current location in Seneca County, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture documents.

The USDA cited Jolene Martin with failing to provide veterinary care at the dog breeding facility in Varick, Seneca County. Specific findings involved a boxer “with a lip that appeared split open and swollen,” a female husky “recently in a fight” who had “multiple injuries to the right ear and left paw,” and dirty empty whelping boxes with “an accumulation of rodent droppings in the whelping boxes … adjacent to enclosures housing young puppies and their mother.”

The USDA documented that between Nov. 23, 2010 and Jan. 5, 2011, “a male Shitzu was matted with feces in mats around the feet and long nails,” several dogs had dirty ears emanating strong odor and a Maltese “was observed with dried blood on its back fur that originated from the dog’s tail which was split open.”

Mary Anne Kowalski, a volunteer with the Seneca County SPCA and the New York State Humane Association, said her organizations are familiar with the breeding operation of Curtis and Jolene Martin because of the violations that considered “among the worst” in the state.

A recent USDA inspection dated Nov. 8, 2011 shows no complaints or violations at the breeding facility the Martins operate at 4520 Route 89.

Reached by phone earlier this week, Curtis Martin said he didn’t want to talk publicly about their plans to build a dog breeding facility on their property at 4446 Route 247. Martin couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.

The town Planning Board unanimously granted the Martins a special use permit and site plan to build a facility that could house anywhere from 200 to 600 dogs, depending on the size of the animals. Planning Board Chairman Tom Harvey said the Martins presented detailed engineering and design plans that address environmental issues and adhere to federal specifications for the operation, which must be licensed and monitored by the USDA.

When citing the Martins with violations at their Seneca County facility, which the document said had 349 dogs and 124 puppies, the USDA said “it does not appear that the facility has enough employees to carry out an acceptable level of husbandry for these animals. This needs to be addressed for the welfare of the animals.”

Kowalski said the operation is family-run and, as far as she knows, has no outside employees.

Town zoning officer Gordon Freida said since the special use permit was granted, emails and phone calls have been flooding in from all over the country with strong reactions to the permit. “We have gained national attention,” he said. Comments he has received include: “How could you do this?” and “How could you let this happen?

Freida would still have to issue a building permit pertaining to the structure, planned to be about 8,400 square feet, on the 20-acre lot that has two barns and house on it. He said the dog breeding facility, like other businesses ranging from marinas to dog kennels and veterinary hospitals, needed a special use permit because the town does not list them as permitted uses. Freida said he didn’t know whether the town could flat-out ban a dog-breeding operation.

Jennifer Baxter, a Gorham resident who volunteers with local animal-welfare groups such as Lollypop Farm (Humane Society of Greater Rochester), said she is very concerned about her town housing a “puppy mill.”

“They are designed to maximize profits and commonly disregard the physical, social, and emotional health of the dogs,” said Baxter.

Melissa Henchen, president and founder of Going to the Dogs Rescue in Perry, Wyoming County, a shelter that covers western New York, said a dog breeding facility also raises fiscal concerns. In addition to the facility not paying dog licensing fees like owners of pets do, these facilities contribute to increasing the population of unwanted dogs who end up in shelters, she said. While dog breeders make money off selling the dogs to pet stores, the dogs may ultimately end up in shelters because either they can’t be sold or the new owners discover they can’t afford to keep the dog or the dog isn’t the right fit for their household.

Towns and counties that house dog breeders can also be stuck with bills to address complaints and expenses tied to a potential shutdown of such a facility, with the welfare of hundreds of dogs needing to be addressed.

“They’re not only not making money off the deal … on top of that they will have to pay more money,” Henchen said.

One crooked stitch runs from ear to ear over the back of Hule’s shaved scalp. Another traverses her forehead before sealing shut her left eye.

But if her post-operation pictures are any indication, this doe-eyed, golden brown cocker spaniel is going to be all right.

Two weeks ago, Hule (pronounced “oolay,” which means “rubber” in Spanish) lay in a Cancun, Mexico veterinary hospital, the victim of a machete attack in Bonfil, a nearby town. After three hours of surgery, Hule was left with thick sutures and only one eye.

Now the 2-year-old dog is in Toronto, where she will receive more surgery to dislodge chunks of skull from her brain — and also a new home.

On Wednesday night, her flight arrived at Pearson airport, where she was met by a representative from CANDi, a British Columbia-based organization that saves and rehabilitates stray dogs and cats in Mexico and the Caribbean.

“I can’t even tell you how absolutely adorable (Hule) is,” said Doris Wohl from the airport. “She’s only got one eye, she’s a little nervous, naturally, but she’s very alert.”

CANDi, or Cats and Dogs International, had been operating a temporary animal clinic in Cancun at the time of the incident.

The details of the attack remain sketchy. According to CANDi founder Darci Galati, the dog’s 21-year-old owner, who was drunk and enraged that his wife had left him, took his anger out on Hule, lacerating the animal’s head and leaving it to die in his front yard.

A CANDi animal clinic volunteer by chance discovered the dog lying in a pool of blood.

Despite the machete slashing, Galati said Hule has not shied away from people.

Now in Toronto, the cocker spaniel will be put up for foster care as she undergoes neurological testing at a local veterinary clinic. But while the dog’s cross-continental journey is reaching a conclusion, Wohl said CANDi is not ready to place Hule with a new owner just yet.

“There is a bit of a road to recovery,” she said.

If you would like to know more about Hule or have interest in adopting her, contact Doris Wohl at 416-817-3946

Nick Santino And Rocco In Happier Days.

A sad example of how breed discrimination affects humans as well as dogs. So sad.

– Kenn

A down-on-his-luck soap-opera actor took his own life this week after he was forced to put his beloved dog to sleep under pressure from his Upper West Side condo and became wracked by grief, pals said.

Nick Santino euthanized his dog, Rocco, Tuesday — on Santino’s 47th birthday. That night, his guilt over the gut-wrenching decision became too much to bear.

“Today I betrayed my best friend and put down my best friend,” a despondent Santino wrote in a suicide note, said close friend Stuart Sarnoff.

“Rocco trusted me and I failed him. He didn’t deserve this.”

The Brooklyn-born Santino — a struggling actor whose TV credits include “All My Children” and “Guiding Light” — adopted Rocco from a shelter several years ago.

The man, raised in an orphanage and foster homes, soon began to write about his pet on Facebook, writing, “I did not rescue Rocco, Rocco rescued me.”

But in 2010, his building at 1 Lincoln Plaza announced strict new dog regulations, including a ban on pit bulls. The ban didn’t apply to pit bulls already in the building, but friends and neighbors said Santino began to be harassed.

“People were complaining about his dog,” said neighbor Kevan Cleary, 63, an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School. “It was open season on him.”

Rocco couldn’t ride in the main elevators and wasn’t allowed to be left in the apartment alone for more than nine hours.

Santino was then threatened with a $250 fine for having a barking dog, neighbors said.

“The dog was not a barker, but somebody complained that the dog would bark,” Cleary said.

“He felt like he was in this battle because he was the only guy in the building with a pit-bull mix,” Cleary added.

Another neighbor, Lia Pettigrew, who runs a pet-care company, said, “Everybody knows that he had been harassed by the building management.”

The building’s management refused to comment yesterday.

After months of increasing anguish, Santino had the healthy dog put to sleep Tuesday.

Neighbors said a tearful Santino brought dog treats to the building’s doorman and said: “Give these to the other dogs. Rocco is no more.”

Dog owner James Steven Grant said Santino left two rawhide bones on his doorstep and earlier was seen tearfully giving away Rocco’s fluffy bed.

“Rocco was the sweetest dog in the world. Rocco wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Grant said.

He spent Tuesday in agony over what he had done to Rocco.

“He was distraught and remorseful about putting down his best friend,” Cleary said.

The last phone call he made was to a former girlfriend at 2 a.m. Wednesday. Later that day, police found his body in his bedroom. He had overdosed on pills.

According to IMDB, Santino was part of the first team to lead search & rescue on World Trade Center 9-11-2001. He used his ConEdison Engineering ID & Asbestos Certification to gain access.

Rocco has been cremated, and friends said Santino’s remains will be, too, and they will be reunited.

“One way or another, their ashes will be together forever,” Sarnoff said.

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MARYLAND — A Baltimore County man is sentenced to prison time for his role in a dogfighting operation. The animals found in his care were dirty, malnourished and mutilated. Amazingly, some of them survived.

What was done to the dogs is horrible, but there is reason to be hopeful for their future.

Authorities say lovable animals Michelle, Bridgette and Shelly were used for sport and endured horrendous abuse at the hands of a dog fighter.

“They’re put into a machine to keep them steady while they are raped by the male dogs. It’s horrifying,” said Baltimore Humane Society Executive Director Jen Swanson.

Larry Alston, a 37-year-old Woodlawn man, was sentenced to three years in prison Monday by a Baltimore County Circuit Court judge. Police say when they arrested Alston in 2009, he had numerous dogs inside his home that were malnourished and scarred, living inside feces-covered cages. Prosecutors say those animals were used and bred for dogfighting.

“He did get three years today which is something of a miracle because oftentimes cases end up in appeals forever, such as the case with Phoenix the pit bull,” Swanson said.

The Baltimore Humane Society says they believe this case of animal abuse and dogfighting sends a clear message.

“That dogfighting is illegal and inhumane and will not be tolerated,” Swanson said.

Adam Lippe, the assistant state’s attorney for Baltimore County, released a statement saying, “The disrespect for the animals under his care was willful and deliberate, and hopefully the lesson is that the lives of animals mean something.”

Anyone interested in adopting the dogs can contact the Baltimore County Humane Society, which is located in Reisterstown.

Pit Bull File Photo.

Another pit bull was found Saturday inside a brand new dog crate. He had just been shot in the face. His body was still warm and blood was still flowing. It had a collar on. The killer or killers shot through the crate.

The Houston animal loving community is in shock about the horrific cruelty inflicted on these dogs.

BBRR is asking for help from Houston police to investigate these killings.

We’ll bring you more info as we receive it.

FAYETTE COUNTY, TENNESSEE — A traffic stop Tuesday morning in Fayette County led to the discovery of 145 dogs and one cat in a U-Haul moving truck, and has landed two women behind bars on animal cruelty charges.

Bonnie Sheehan, 55, is charged with Animal Cruelty and following too closely to another vehicle, which likely led to the traffic stop. Pamela A. King-McCraken, 59, is also charged with Animal Cruelty.

Both are in the Fayette County Jail on a $100,000 bond with a January 24th scheduled court appearance.

The stop was done by Tennessee State Trooper Brad Simpson of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force near exit 42 on Interstate-40. He said the animals were being kept in deplorable conditions.

In many cases four or five animals were squeezed into animals carriers and makeshift animal carriers without food and water. Other dogs were running loose in the non-ventilated truck, and urine and feces were everywhere. One dog had died.

“They just haven’t stopped crying since we’ve been here. It’s very hard to listen to,” said Gina Thweatt of Fayette County Animal Rescue.

Thweatt was on the scene when the dogs were being unloaded at a Pilot Truck Stop just off the interstate.

“The smell is absolutely horrific. One officer about got sick. He couldn’t handle the smell,” Thweatt added.

Sheehan and McCraken are associated with an animal rescue group called Hearts For Hounds. According to its website, Sheehan founded the Long Beach organization in 1997. An investigator said the women were coming from California and headed to Virginia to put the animals up for adoption.

Hearts For Hounds’ Facebook page had blown up with comments on what happened, and was later taken down.

Tuesday night the animals, mostly small-breed dogs, were being held in a special ASPCA shelter in Memphis that had been set up during the May flood. They will be at the facility for an undetermined amount of time.

“We understand they have not been out of their crates since Saturday, so after we get everybody settled in we’re going to give them a nice little walk and a nice little fluffy towel to sleep with tonight,” said Nina Wingfield, Director of Collierville Animal Services.

“We have a vet on the scene that will look at every dog and make sure there are no health issues,” Wingfield added.

At this point, only trained caregivers from Mid-South rescue organizations will care for the dogs since there is an open criminal investigation, and the dogs need to be checked out. No volunteers were needed as of Tuesday night, however donations to the ASPCA would be accepted.

“They’re scared, and scared animals bite out of fear. So we want to keep everybody safe and the dogs safe. If they bite someone, then we’ve risked their lives,” Wingfield said.

Human head found by dog near Hollywood sign.

Los Angeles police detectives are investigating the slaying of a man believed to be an Armenian American whose head rolled out of a plastic bag discovered by a dog off a trail below the Hollywood sign Tuesday afternoon.

Two women were hiking with the dog in the rugged hills near the 3200 block of Canyon Drive, when the dog found a plastic bag in the brush containing the head, according to law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation but who asked not to be identified because the investigation was still unfolding.

The sources said the head was believed to be that of an Armenian male in his 40s with salt-and-pepper hair. Police also believe that the slaying was recent based on the condition of the remains.

Sources said investigators are trying to determine whether there are additional body parts in the area. Neither the circumstances nor the cause of death were immediately known.

The case is being handled by the LAPD’s elite Robbery-Homicide Division. In addition to combing the area for evidence, investigators will seek help from the Los Angeles County coroner’s office to identify the victim through dental records.

A pet owner has come forward to say her dog was a victim of animal traps. This is the second case made public in a matter of days.

Gregory Tyra of Mount Sterling admitted to setting animal traps in Garrard Park in Bourbon County.

One of those traps killed a pet dog, who was caught in the trap while on a walk. Since then, police in Bourbon County have found more animal traps at the public park, and now, more pet owners have come forward.

Jacqueline Muth’s dog, Billy Boy, died almost a month ago after he was caught in an animal trap. “I was screaming, I was hysterical. I was helpless,” says Muth. Since then, Muth has been begging for justice. “He was just a very loving boy. And he didn’t know a stranger. There’s a tag on the trap, the serial number is on the tag. And that was enough to lead them to Greg Tyra.”

Tyra was arrested this past week and admitted to setting the trap that killed a dog in Bourbon County.

When the dog reached inside the animal trap, it snapped on his head, killing Billy Boy almost instantly. “There were kids right across the creek at the time that it happened. They could have gotten caught! And believe me it can do tremendous damage,” says Muth.

But for Muth, the damage has already been done.

Tyra is being held at the Bourbon County Detention Center for carrying a concealed deadly weapon.

A reward is now being offered in the case of Sam the dog, who is believed to be a victim of dog fighting in Henderson County, Kentucky.

Officials with the Humane Society of Henderson County say they’ve been getting calls from across the nation and Canada with people wanting to help or take Sam in.

He’s being nursed back to health after being found curled up in some straw at the edge of a Henderson County field injured and starving.

Officials say he weighs about half of what he should and has several puncture and tear wounds around his face and neck. They say he also has a punctured eye that will most likely have to be removed.

Officials say they think Sam was being used as bait in dog fighting.

The Humane Society of the United States has heard all about Sam, and is now offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Humane society officials are asking anyone with any information to give them a call. You can remain anonymous. Call 270-826-8966 or email info@hshcky.org if you have any information.