bk_blue Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Odds on you guys have seen or heard about this... :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: 500 dogs taken from home in S.E. Oregon 01/25/03 RICHARD COCKLE ONTARIO -- Nearly 500 dogs -- many of them sick and malnourished -- were removed Thursday night from a rural home near the ranching town of Harper in southeastern Oregon. The number of barking, frightened dogs at the residence of Barbara and Robert Erickson of Harper "absolutely overwhelmed" officials, Malheur County Sheriff Andy Bentz said. "It was just horrible; the stench alone was unbelievable," Denise Mowder, Malheur County deputy district attorney, said of conditions in which the dogs were living. The Ericksons were charged Friday with more than 500 counts each of animal abuse, a misdemeanor, Mowder said. Conviction could bring a $10,000 fine and a year in jail on each count, she said. The case probably is among the largest of its kind in recent state history, said Lt. Randy Covey of the Oregon Humane Society law enforcement division in Portland. Barbara Erickson, 76, remained in the Malheur County Jail in Vale on Friday, pending arraignment Monday, Mowder said. Robert Erickson, 64, has medical problems and was released on his own recognizance. Authorities said the dogs were kept in the Ericksons' home, and in pens, an outbuilding and abandoned cars on the property. Some exhibited a "pack mentality," and five people were bitten, none seriously, while the dogs were being taken to the Second Chance Animal Shelter in Payette, Idaho, Mowder said. Robert Erickson was home when authorities executed a search warrant and removed the nearly 500 dogs Thursday night, Bentz said. Barbara Erickson was taken into custody Friday in Ontario while driving a van with 30 dogs and an animal corpse inside, the sheriff said. "I have never seen anything like this, ever," said April Long, 29, of Ontario, a shelter volunteer. "I held a few last night. They were pretty scared, shaken up. Plus they were pretty cold." The dogs were skinny and caked with mud and feces, and appeared not to have been fed for some time, Long said. Some seemed to be affectionate animals that would make good pets, she added. The shelter had expected 200 animals at the most and had to rent an additional building and appeal to the public for help, Mowder said. "There are people bringing in sacks of dog food," she said. The fate of the dogs will be decided by shelter workers, veterinarians, county health officials and the district attorney's office, Bentz said. "It is very important that people wanting to help in any way contact the Second Chance Animal Shelter in Payette," he said. That number is 208-642-2790. Mowder said most of the dogs are small- to medium-sized, and some are quite ill. It will take time to determine which are well enough and have the temperaments to be adopted, she said. The Ericksons have lived at the residence for about four years, and people in the area had made complaints about the conditions there for some time, Bentz said. Richard Cockle: 541-963-8890; [email][email protected][/email] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggrolyn1223 Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 :o :evil: The nerves of these people! :x And a fine?ONLY?Or a year in jail?They call that enough???ughh!! :bad-words: Poor dogs :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 When I first started reading this post I was thinking surely someone must have seen these dogs and complained! anyone, postman, milkman, neighbours anyone! but then I got to the bottom and see that complaints had been made......................why did it get to 500 dogs in terrible conditions before anything was done? and where on earth did they all come from, there must have been unplanned litters etc. poor poor darlings! Thank god for rescues! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouseatthebusstop Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
behle Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Poor dogs! I cannot imagine being one of the rescue workers whose responsibility it was to go into that mess and find all these dogs in those horrible conditions. It's probably a good thing that the "owners" were in custody by that time. Hopefully animal lovers will pitch in to help care for and place all these deserving dogs. I agree with Jan when she writes....."why did it get to 500 dogs in terrible conditions?" Surely action could have been taken before now! :evil: Were these people mentally unbalanced? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk_blue Posted January 26, 2003 Author Share Posted January 26, 2003 I am thankful the video card on this crappy computer does not work otherwise I would watch that clip and cry my eyes out. Those poor dogs... sending positive thoughts to all 539 of them.. :( :angel: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
behle Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Thanks K for posting the information about donations and supplies. You are always on top of things! :angel: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk_blue Posted January 26, 2003 Author Share Posted January 26, 2003 ok it IS working.... :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: How can anyone keep dogs in those filthy surrounds and not even think about what they're doing??????? It is definitely bad enough for me!. If anyone I knew kept dogs like that I would give them seven shades of hell. I wish I could help somehow... K, we are going to have to call you the Avenging Angel soon! :angel: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 WHY WHY WHY :evil: I have my dogs because I enjoy them, what do these people get out of starving and neglecting 500 hundred innocent animals? :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
behle Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 I wish I knew more about computers! I tried to get at the list too, but no luck. I imagine they need all the standard items that shelters and rescues need only more, AND RIGHT NOW! Probably most needed is a stream of cash donations so the volunteers caring for these needy animals can purchase exactly what is needed. Oops! Just check the topic review box as I was typing this. I'll take a look at the list now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
behle Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 I watched the latest video. These people are truly :angel: :angel: :angel: ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poofy Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Folks I don't cate what the "rescue" lists are saying...but I didn't see one pure bred dog on that video 9not to say that they are not in there). The stament was even made that this woman thought she was "saving" these dogs. This person sounds like a collector to me. The dogs I saw on the video were medium to small..and they ALL looked like mixed of undetermined nature. This is a sad state of affairs. I am more inclined to believe this woman was a "collector" convinced she was doing the right things for these dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Thanks K for putting up all the info. Seen the video: Poor woman is insane with misplaced and dangerous 'loyality' to the dogs, killing them with a warped sense of love. I couldn't believe that the area she was in didn't have rules as to the number of dogs that she could keep. I still don't understand where all these dogs came from! Is she a private individual who took in dogs direct from the public rather than see them go to a proper rescue thinking she could do better? When you think of the amount of staff that some rescue centres have, how on earth did this woman think she could do it all herself with much greater numbers? I think I'm missing something here! I'm going to watch it again! :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poofy Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 In all honesty she was probably picking them up off the side of the road and or getting them out of "free dog" news paper ads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 This is a second offense. 300 dogs were taken from her a few years ago. They were in horrible condition, also. This is a sicko. The poor animals that have suffered under her control. Very sad. it [url]http://www.idahostatesman.com/Search/Story.asp?ID=31346[/url] This tells the previous story on her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poofy Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Probably because there is no real, "sickness" (that has been identified and labled so to speak) that makes you a collector... I don't think they even have a way to treat it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 so that's 800+ dogs!!! unreal!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildbunch Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Boy is Oregon going down hill or what. First the horses now this. Anyways I have forwarded the link to several people I know who assist with rescue. They've probably already heard but just in case. I will send what I can for these poor animals. Hopefully I'll know more soon. Will keep you all posted if I hear anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poofy Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Yes obsessive compulsive behavior can, which is probably how some are trying to treat a "collector". The problem is... "collecting" is not a recognized disease...there are no studies or treatment protocals that have been developed...there is even argument to whether it is even a mental disease.... That is where lies the problem. Another side note...some one who obsessively collects hub caps is "passionate" about a hobby...some one who obsessively collects animals has an "illness".... I think some of it is resistance to opening up a whole new door to illnesses... Here I am looking at my 800 + my little pony collection I have gathered since I was a kid...hmmmmm.... :) uh oh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 :o How awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poofy Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Okay...I am probably going to get flamed for this one...but... I can in a way see why these people decided to kill these dogs. There are so many good sound dogs, who are dying (literally) for new homes, it just doesn't seem right to try and take a chance with dogs that are disturbed because of isolation and neglect. This is why I do rescue on such a small scale, why I have a 100% no tolerance for human aggression. I do not enjoy putting dogs down, but sometimes they cannot be helped. In the case of these dogs, they might not have the money or the time to commit for that help. I will say that I am upset by they way the dogs were being handled...and I think that made things very unfair for them. I think that the vets were probably making some shot gun calls. It has been my own experiece that rescue shelters, kill or no kill, are often staffed and run by people who know nothing about dogs, breeds of dog, or dog language. I think that the information about what is really going on needs to get out...if these people are going to destroy these dogs they need not to be taking donations for "saving them". This type of massacare makes me wonder if the HSUS or PETA is not behind it all...since they have a reputation for these kind of "rescues". My next question, may start a flame war...I hope not and please do not take offense. Are all those pregnant dogs goin to be spayed? or allowed to have puppies? I honestly can't justify bringing in more unwanted animals into the world. Why weren't they concentrating on getting all the bitches evaluated first, and spayed, to prevent a population explosion? I think there are a lot of unanswered questions...and I have no idea who has the answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiger Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 I'm still trying to figure out this: [quote] I can honestly say besides the tragedy of losing my soul mate to cancer when he was 5 yrs old I have never been so devastated in all my life. [/quote] Is she talking about a dog?? I mean, I love my dog, but in no way is he my soul mate! :-? Ok, I know this has nothing to do with the topic, but this struck me as a bit warped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiger Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Good, I'm not alone! :D Did this make you do a double take too? [quote]I lifted the lid, body parts - legs ripped right off the body of the dog, fresh maybe a day old. [/quote] Why would they do this? It almost sounds like a shock tactic to make everyone think all the vets were horrible monsters who mutilated the dogs for fun. I just can't see a vet going, "Let's take a break and carve 'em up!" I worked for a vet. We put a lot of animals to sleep. All the bodies were disposed of properly, and not one was ever cut up - except a stray cat that was suspected of being rabid. Where's the other side of the story? I bet the truth is somewhere in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 Okay, am I late on this topic, blind and never saw it, or did it just suddenly go BOOM and everyone wrote three pages before I could read it?!? :o I too found both those things a wee bit odd Kiger! Doesn't make sence at all. Those POOR dogs!!! :evil: :cry: Any new news? Hopefully they haven't put to sleep too many more!! I believe they could all be helped! There's no WAY there can't be enough money or time! People are just lazy and stupid is all! That's how I feel about the starving people in third world countries as well! I'm so sick of all the BS laws out there! Money is pointless I say! When it comes to a case like this, Money should be considered only Papper!! :x There are millions of people out there, who should be helping! People who do have the power to do so. I duno... it just makes me sick to my stomach. :evil: :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk_blue Posted February 6, 2003 Author Share Posted February 6, 2003 Poofy I agree with you there. It makes sense to euthanase some of those dogs. It's certainly not the fault of those poor dogs that they behaved the way they did, but yes, think of all the evaluated, vaccinated, even-tempered dogs currently in shelters and rescue awaiting adoption or death and it makes sense. [color=indigo]BUT the manner in which it was apparently conducted was abhorrent. Just completely and utterly *wrong*. [/color] :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.