Puppy mill
Carroll County Responds Quickly to Puppy Mill Uncovered in Hillsville, Virginia
On November 1, 2007, Carroll County, Virginia, Animal Control Authorities were contacted by Virginia Partnership for Animal Welfare and Support http://www.vapaws.org (VA PAWS) concerning a puppy mill located in the Town of Hillsville, Carroll County, Virginia. This puppy mill is believed to be the largest of several which were the focus of a five-month investigation by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) with the assistance of VA PAWS of puppy mills located in Virginia.
Based on the information presented, a team of Animal Control professionals along with a Veterinarian visited the property that same day and found 1,080 small breed dogs of various ages in several locations on the property including buildings and cages.
The welfare of the animals is the primary concern of all officials. Those present immediately began taking action to safeguard the well-being of the animals. Since that time, officials from the Carroll County and the Town of Hillsville, as well as the Carroll County Commonwealth’s Attorney have been working in close conjunction with VA PAWS to make sure that all possible steps are taken to ensure that the animals are treated as humanely as possible. At this time, the owner of the puppy mill has consented to the surrender of 980+ dogs. He has further been made aware that he will be under the close scrutiny of animal control officers to make certain that the remaining animals are kept in proper conditions and are not subjugated to unacceptable breeding practices.
A meeting of local officials with VA PAWS on November 2, 2007, produced a plan for the immediate care of these animals as well as the long-term distribution of the animals.
Beginning this week, a massive operation of care and organization will commence. Each individual animal will be given an identification number, photographed along with a written description of the animal. Each animal will receive an examination by a Veterinarian and rabies vaccinations as well as being scanned for implanted microchips. This rescue mission will be overseen by a Virginia Department of Agriculture staff Veterinarian as well as Animal Control of Carroll County.
Once the health assessments have been completed, an individual care plan will be developed for each animal. Along with VA PAWS, The Humane Society of the United States and the VA/Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at VA Tech has agreed to assist with the operation. It is anticipated that a majority of the 980+ animals will be evaluated and taken from the owner’s property during the week of November 5, 2007. Carroll County is committed to ensuring that none of the 980+ animals will be placed back in a breeding program.
Carroll County and The Town of Hillsville wish to stress that the welfare of the animals is their most important concern. Carroll County is a rural agricultural community with a strong tradition of humane treatment of animals.
The Carroll County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Carroll County’s Animal Control Officer, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department and the Hillsville Police Department as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are continuing to investigate for potential criminal violations. Carroll County is committed to the aggressive enforcement of all laws and regulations for the benefit of animals.
Carroll County is exceptionally grateful for the professional manner of all staff and of the cooperation and assistance of VA PAWS and other volunteers groups. Carroll County hopes that the manner in which this tragic situation has been handled will be a model for other similar situations nationwide.
Carroll County Officials:
Administrator ~ Gary Larrowe
Animal Control Officer ~ Terry Woods
Commonwealth Attorney ~ Greg Goad
Sheriff ~ Warren Manning
Emergency Services Director ~ Joe Roma
Hillsville Officials:
Town Manager ~ Larry South
Chief of Police ~ Steve Williams
VA PAWS:
President ~ Lila Borge Wills
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS):
President ~ Wayne Pacelle
Animals may be adopted from the following Animal adoption agencies. (Animals can NOT be adopted through the County offices)
Virginia Partnership for Animal Welfare and Support (VA PAWS)
P.O. Box 172
Christiansburg, VA 24068
http://www.vapaws.org
Angels of Assisi
415 Campbell Ave.
Roanoke, VA 24016
http://www.angelsofassisi.org
Dalmatian Rescue of Southwest Virginia
1784 Bernard Drive
Elliston, VA 24087
http://www.drswv.com
Floyd County Humane Society
P.O. Box 862
Floyd, VA 24091
http://www.nrvanimalshelters.com/Floyd
Fairfax County Animal Shelter
4500 West Ox Road
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Phone: 703-830-1100 (Hearing impaired TTY...703-691-3255)
Website: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/animalservices/
North Shore Animal League America
25 Davis Avenue
Port Washington, NY 11050
Phone: 516-883-7575
Website: http://www.nsalamerica.org
Moore Humane Society
5355 NC Hwy 22
Carthage, NC 28327
Phone: 910.947.2631
Website: http://www.moorehumane.org
Montgomery County Humane Society’s Private Rescue*
607 South Stonestreet Avenue
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: 240-453-9401
Fax: 240-453-9405
Email:
Website: http://www.mchumane.org/rescue.shtml
*Please note that this is the Montgomery County Humane Society’s
private rescue shelter. It is not the the main county shelter.
Spartanburg Humane Society
150 Dexter Rd.
Spartanburg SC 29303
Phone: 864.583.4805
Website: http://www.spartanburghumanesociety.com
Email:
SPCA of Martinsville and Henry County
132 Joseph Martin Highway
Martinsville, VA 24112
Phone: (276) 638-PAWS (7297)
FAX: (276) 638-0490
Website: http://www.spcamhc.org
Email:
Robins-Starr Humane Center
2519 Hermitage Road
Richmond, VA 23220
Phone: 804-643-6785
Fax: 804-644-8327
Behavior Help Line: 804-643-SPCA
Adoptions: 804-521-1307
Website: http://www.richmondspca.org
Animal Protection Society of Durham
2117 E. Club Blvd.
Durham, NC 27704
Phone: 919-560-0640
Fax: 919-560-0643
Website: http://www.apsofdurham.org
Email:
Humane Society of Broward County
2070 Griffin Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Phone: 954-989-3977
Fax: 954-989-3991
Website: http://www.humanebroward.com
Email:
Washington Animal Rescue League
71 Oglethorpe Street, NW
Washington, DC 20011
Phone: 202-726-2556
Website: http://www.warl.org
Email:
Loudoun County Animal Shelter
39820 Charles Town Pike
Waterford, VA 20197
Phone: 703-777-0406
Phone: 540-882-3211
Fax: 540-882-3984
Website: http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=1397
Email:
Humane Society of Charlotte
2700 Toomey Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28203
Adoption Coordinator: Linda Edwards
Phone: 704-377-0534, ext 227
Website: http://www.humanesocietyofcharlotte.org
Email:
Orange County Animal Services
1081 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd /Historic Airport Rd.
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone: (919) 967-7383
Website: http://www.co.orange.nc.us/animalservices/
Email:
For further information, please call 276.730.3249