Murder Hollow Basset Hound Hunting Pack under investigation, CONTINUAL UPDATES AS OF 1-12-10 Options

[admin]

Hello fellow forum lovers: I have been following this event for about 24 hours. It is all very vague but emotions are exploding. Here is the original post that now has other basset hound forums in over drive.


"Have y'all heard about Murder Hollow Bassets? It's a foot pack of (hunting) basset hounds in Philadelphia. Where a law was recently passed requiring a kennel license for anyone who had more than a dozen dogs.

The Murder Hollow basset pack numbered 23 when they were raided. Les gendarmes made off with 12 dogs, three of whom were on loan from a Tennessee kennel. The dogs have been placed in various shelters and homes throughout the city, but nobody knows where - the Philiadelphia SPCA official who seized the dogs has reportedly not returned phone calls from frantic breeders and owners.

Why did the city get down on a basset pack? Neighbor complaint. At least that's their story, and they're sticking to it.

Remember a year or so ago, when we were all hearing "Oh, don't worry, we'd never even attempt to enforce these ordinances againt responsible owners. Why it's the dog-fighters and puppy-millers we're after." We may now all give a collective *snort*

Because this pack was undoubtedly the culmination of many lifetime breeding programs. And its members are doG knows where tonight. "

OK - this is the original post and now I am going to link you to the entire forum posting where you can read all about it. Make sure you scroll up to the top to read from the beginning.

http://www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.p...mp;#entry313852

It is a bordercollie board of all places.

I am posting this here because I am keeping up with it. Like I said, I have been following this for about 24 hours. I was waiting for the other side of the story to come out and as you can see in a posting way down on the link, the PASPCA has commented.

Now that we have more information, I find this worthy of posting and I will be adding to this post as the story unfolds.

What I find odd is that the Murder Hollow Pack has not commented any where. I have never heard of them.

May I just say one thing? I am not a big fan of hunting packs and the conditions they are kept in. I know nothing about the Murder Hollow Pack at all. NOTHING. I do have first hand knowledge about other hunting packs but not Basset Hounds. These are Fox hounds.

More later........Cat

[admin]

Here is the comment that the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals made on their website.

August 6, 2009
Murder Hollow Basset Hound Update
In response to complaints, Pennsylvania SPCA officers visited the location of Murder Hollow Kennels and left requests to be contacted. There was no response to these requests.

On a follow-up visit by a Pennsylvania SPCA officer and representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Dog Law six days later, the owner was present but refused entry. Both Dog Law representatives and Pennsylvania SPCA officers returned later that evening with warrants to enter the property.

The dogs were found to be in unsanitary conditions, and the number of dogs present exceeded the City of Philadelphia limit of 12 animals allowed on a property.

In lieu of charges, Pennsylvania SPCA agents worked with the owner to reduce the number of dogs on the premises and allowed her time to clean and make improvements to the area in which the dogs were housed.

The owner surrendered some of the dogs and is working to clean and improve the kennels prior to a follow-up inspection. The Pennsylvania SPCA is encouraged by her efforts in providing and maintaining a more sanitary setting as well as veterinary care for the dogs that remain.
The dogs are safe in foster care with an independent, partner organization.

We appreciate the outpouring of support for these dogs from the Bassett community.

End of statement.........


More later......Cat

[admin]

This just in from another forum........ I knew there had to be 2 sides to this story.



who's being truthful???

THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2009
PSPCA removes 11 filthy dogs from Philly Basset kennel
As master of Murder Hollow Bassets hound pack, Philadelphia resident Wendy Willard ran in tony rabbit and fox hunting circles. Her pack, formed in 1986, was listed among a select handful from Virginia hunt country and elsewhere in the prestigious Chronicle of the Horse, the bible of the horse and hound crowd. The kennel's Bassets won awards at the Bryn Mawr Hound Show.

Last week the Pennsylvania SPCA raided her farmhouse in the Schuylkill Valley Nature Preserve and found 23 dogs covered in feces and riddled with parasites, said George Bengal, the PSPCA's director of law enforcement.

"The kennel was a mess," he said.

Humane agents first went to the house on July 21 in response to neighbor complaints about noise and odor, said Bengal. Finding no one home, they left cards asking the property owner to contact them. When no one responded, an agent and two state dog wardens returned on July 27. Willard refused them entry and as they left the property she threw stones at the officers' vehicles, said Bengal.



They returned later that day with a search warrant and found dogs living in what Bengal described as unsanitary conditions and in need of veterinary care. Willard voluntarily surrendered 11 dogs and agreed to comply with certain conditions for keeping the rest, including inspections, he said.

"We could have charged her, but we didn't yet," said Bengal. "We could have seized the dogs, but she agreed to get medical care for the remaining dogs and spay or neuter eight of the 12 dogs" – the limit allowed under the city's decades old animal ordinance.

Since there were fewer than 26 dogs on the property (the number required for a state kennel license) there were no citations issued by the state, said Chris Ryder, spokesman for the Department of Agriculture.

The dogs that were removed were placed with Basset hound rescue groups, the PSPCA said.

The PSPCA's executive director Sue Cosby said they did not initially release any information about the incident because they thought they could resolve the issue amicably with the owner.

"The officer heading the case really went out of her way to work with the owner in an effort to have the kennels cleaned up and the dogs cared for rather than file charges and take all of the dogs,'" said Cosby in an email.

Dog breeder list serves and hunting blogs were buzzing over the weekend with news of the raid. The chatter grew to a fever pitch today with pages of posts defending Willard and railing against the PSPCA for trampling on the rights of dog owners.


http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/pets/PS...set_kennel.html

The above link will take you to the article where you can read comments as well.

07 Aug 2009 um 3:45 am

end of posting.......

More later.....Cat

[admin]

This is the blog that started all of the mayja hoopla over the Murder Hollow Bassets. It is called Never Yet Melted. It is very one sided in favor of the MHB and the author states,
"I have a modest level of personal acquaintance with Wendy Willard and the Murder Hollow Bassets, as I'm member of the same "tony rabbit and fox hunting circles" myself."

Blog posting number 1:

http://neveryetmelted.com/2009/08/05/spca-...n-philadelphia/

and from the same blog.....

Blog posting number 2:

http://neveryetmelted.com/2009/08/07/murde...a-strikes-back/

And this just in.......

Blog posting number 3:

http://neveryetmelted.com/2009/08/07/spca-...sm-news-report/

This last blog link is interesting because they actually get a quote out of Wendy Willard of Murder Hollow. Wendy states, ""They are my family," a distraught Willard said of her dogs.

But just prior to that the article states that she didn't want to talk about her troubles yesterday, but she did say that three of the animals surrendered actually belonged to a New York woman who has been unsuccessful in learning where the PSPCA placed them.

So, Wendy gave up three dogs that belonged to someone else? I bet that New York Woman was thrilled with that.

I just want all of this mess in one location on the internet. Everything I find I will post in this forum topic.

I just found another blog posting that is brilliant. I will post that next. It is from a guy named PBBurns

More soon,,,,Cat

OK - very soon! Never Yet Melted has posted another blog! Here is the link.

Blog posting number 4:

http://neveryetmelted.com/2009/08/07/spca-...ding-the-pspca/


This posting is NYM rattling off the history of PSPCA - all and all pretty boring and nonsensical. Remember, this person is not one bit objective so you have to take these postings with many grains of salt.

[admin]

I know, I know - It's all a bit much to keep up with but stick with me while I attempt to get to the bottom of this. Everyone is running around like crazy including the Basset Hound Club of America. Why are they involved? The woman who owns the pack is not even a member. I still cannot figure that one out.

Anyway, here is another blog posting that is in response to the blog "Never Yet Melted" The one I just put 4 links to that I will probably add more. It is totally one sided.

This blog by Terrierman's Daily Dose hysterically points that out. You have to read the other three blog postings first (NYM) to get the full pleasure out of this one.

Here is the link.........

http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2009/...f-nonsense.html


Just point on.

More later....Cat

[mom2scully]

This is all very interesting, and I can't help wondering what the real truth is. Thanks for posting all this info; it's quite nice to have it all in one place!

Any idea which basset rescue the dogs are supposedly in the care of?

[admin]

No idea for sure but it was posted on my Facebook page that Tri-State Basset Hound Rescue has them. I am sure it will come out soon along with more details. Someone must have taken pictures.

[admin]

8-8-09 -

This entire debacle regarding the Murder Hollow Bassets went sky rocketing out of control yesterday on the internet. However, today is Saturday and most folks are not at work blogging about their beliefs. Most blogs about this incident are just copied and pasted from the original blog postings which are listed above. I am talking about the postings 1 through 4 by Never Yet Melted. Remember, the totally one sided friend of the woman who has the Murder Hollow Bassets?

However, the bloggers that do copy and paste from Never Yet Melted do change their titles. A blog called the National Institute of Canine Experts pulled the blog over and just re-named it:

STOLEN BASSET HOUNDS.....

Then another hunting site called CoonDawgs.com which also runs Bassetsunlimited pulls the copy over and re-names it:

PHILADELPHIA POLICE CONFISCATE HALF OF A PACK OF HUNTING BASSET HOUNDS AND GIVE THEM TO ANIMAL ACTIVITST........

Welcome to the internest of rats. Where you see one there are many more. If I have more time today I am going to collect more titles of blogs that have copied and pasted Never Yet Melted. I know I saw some more yesterday, I just have to find them.

Take a deep breath and find out the facts! I know, it's hard work and not near as sensational but what fun is that?

More titles later......


Cat

OK - it is about noon on Saturday and I found another one. It is from a blog called Smartdogs' Weblog.

The blog posting is almost word for word from, yes you guessed it! Never Yet Melted. Wow, this blog really got legs. I wonder why all of these bloggers just copy his posting and change the title of their blog. This person actually states that Never Yet Melted is reporting on the incident. Reporting means fair and objective. Not totally subjective.

Anyway this bloggers creative title is:

THEY CAME FOR THE BASSETS..........

ROFLOL........

This is fun.

More titles later........Oh and by the way, I am not bothering to link of any of these lazy blogger. I will link to blogs that I find that have something on both sides of the issue. These one sided bloggers will never see the entire picture. It is very clear political views are at the heart of the issue.

More titles sooner than later.......

Cat

OK - Sunday afternoon, another title with all of the copy taken from Never Yet Melted:

ANIMAL WELFARE TYRANNY, OFFICIAL IDIOCY AND INCOMPETENCE, PSPCA, PHILADELPHIA, SPCA

In the comment section, not one mention of any of the hounds except for this comment from some guy called, When the Tailgate Drops....

WTTD states, "animal control people have POLICE powers--- they have no police training-- no police accountability-- no veterinarian degrees-

seems like usually no common sense



they stole those hounds- ----

they tested positive for lyme---no symptoms -


im guessing those hounds were slick and fat ---



otherwise they would have said parasite ridden -

if in hunting shape= emaciated ,malnourished etc



alot of times those people RESCUE hounds from adequate homes- , then they kill them -

end of comment from tailgatedown.

OK, I just wanted to give you another example of the intelligence of some of these folks. Pretty darn scary.

[OneMom]

Between the "soap opera" quality of this story and the name "Murder Hollow", I feel like we should start a series of mystery books (Kind of like Nancy Drew) "The Bassets of Murder Hollow Mysteries"

As in most stories like this, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

8-8-09 -

This entire debacle regarding the Murder Hollow Bassets went sky rocketing out of control yesterday on the internet. However, today is Saturday and most folks are not at work blogging about their beliefs. Most blogs about this incident are just copied and pasted from the original blog postings which are listed above. I am talking about the postings 1 through 4 by Never Yet Melted. Remember, the totally one sided friend of the woman who has the Murder Hollow Bassets?

However, the bloggers that do copy and paste from Never Yet Melted do change their titles. A blog called the National Institute of Canine Experts pulled the blog over and just re-named it:

STOLEN BASSET HOUNDS.....

Then another hunting site called CoonDawgs.com which also runs Bassetsunlimited pulls the copy over and re-names it:

PHILADELPHIA POLICE CONFISCATE HALF OF A PACK OF HUNTING BASSET HOUNDS AND GIVE THEM TO ANIMAL ACTIVITST........

Welcome to the internest of rats. Where you see one there are many more. If I have more time today I am going to collect more titles of blogs that have copied and pasted Never Yet Melted. I know I saw some more yesterday, I just have to find them.

Take a deep breath and find out the facts! I know, it's hard work and not near as sensational but what fun is that?

More titles later......


Cat

OK - it is about noon on Saturday and I found another one. It is from a blog called Smartdogs' Weblog.

The blog posting is almost word for word from, yes you guessed it! Never Yet Melted. Wow, this blog really got legs. I wonder why all of these bloggers just copy his posting and change the title of their blog. This person actually states that Never Yet Melted is reporting on the incident. Reporting means fair and objective. Not totally subjective.

Anyway this bloggers creative title is:

THEY CAME FOR THE BASSETS..........

ROFLOL........

This is fun.

More titles later........Oh and by the way, I am not bothering to link of any of these lazy blogger. I will link to blogs that I find that have something on both sides of the issue. These one sided bloggers will never see the entire picture. It is very clear political views are at the heart of the issue.

More titles sooner than later.......

Cat

[admin]

OneMom - That is so funny. I think it has the potential for a great mystery. I totally agree with you. I used to love to read Nancy Drew. Actually, Julian just did a story for me the last time he stayed over. I might work on that tonight. He actually did a video of himself reading it. It is so cute. I will let you know if I get it up tonight.

Cat

[admin]

I have a few questions that I am going to be posting later regarding the Murder Hollow Bassets. I want to have them recorded here to see if any of them get answered. Feel free to add your own questions.

Here are a few...

1.) Why did this woman not have her attorney present? She knew the PSPCA was coming back with a search warrant.

2.) Why did she not call all of the foot club members and have them help her get her kennel in shape? Or at least be there to take pictures and videos? (I am leaning toward the notion that her hounds and kennel were a mess.) Where were all the folks that are copying and pasting Never Yet Melted's blog there to help her? I know NYM is in her same circle. He admits it on his blog. He calls it the preparatory class.

3.) Where are the updates from the BHCA? They have someone on the case. If they are going to make a case of it, let's hear what the updates are. By the way, I have e-mailed both of the members on the case and no on has had the courtesy to reply.

4.) Is the BHCA going to help anyone that has their bassets removed under the conditions which we know nothing of at this point? Many issues have been very secretive with this club for a long time. In fact, there is a campagine to find out what the heck is going on with the club and the decisions they make not following the rules that govern a club. The power structure is very old.

5.) More later........




Very interesting.......

[admin]

OK - I just found this blog called "the philly dog blog" Here is what dashaway states,

"As many of you may already know, recently the Philadelphia SPCA officers conducted a raid on the Murder Hollow Bassett Hounds Kennel owned by a Ms. Wendy Willard. The PaSPCA maintains that the officers responded to the kennel as a result of alleged noise and smell complaints. Apparently, the PaSPCA left requests to be contacted but never received any from Ms. Willard. Thus, the officers returned with a warrant and informed Ms.Willard that pursuant to Philadelphia Ordinance (which limits the number of dogs on a property to 12), that unless she surrendered 11 of her dogs to their custody they would seize all 23 of her dogs. In a press release, the PaSPCA maintains that the kennel was filthy.

I hesitated to comment on this because I wanted to wait until the PaSPCA responded to the owner's allegations. Pennsylvania's Dog Laws aren't exactly pet-owner friendly and although we've come a long way against puppy mills (thanks to Governor Rendell!), BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) is on the horizon, which is the penultimate example of threatening our right as pet owners. As a pet owner, it is vital to keep updated on the law. I will have a page on the main website that focuses exclusively on Pennsylvania Animal law and Philadelphia Ordinances."




Here is the link to the blog in case you want to go look at it.


PHILLY DOG BLOG




I will be keeping up with this one. Finally, a cool head......




Cat

[admin]

I am just sitting here shaking my head. How can some of these bloggers write this stuff? Just totally fictional and delusional rants. OK - This comes from a blog called Snowflakes in Hell. Of course he credits Never Yet Melted with breaking the "news" about the Murder Hollow Bassets. OMG......... SFIH states, (prior to heading for the hills)

"The local SPCA raided Wendy's Willard's kennel where she keeps her Murder Hollow Bassets on Monday night. They arrived with seven trucks and two police cars & informed her that one of her neighbours had complained about noise.Neither the neighbour nor the SPCA had previously complained to her, yet she has been there for 22 years.

As it turns out, Philadelphia County had recently passed an ordinance where no more than 12 animals may be kept on any property. The Murder Hollow kennels contained 23 bassets, less than the requirement to obtain a (US) Department of Agriculture kennel licence, but the kennel is just inside the city limits.

Under this law, the local SPCA have managed to acquire the power to seize people's dogs without warning, by force and by night, and then to take them away to an unknown destination without any accountability.

The police took 12 hounds and delivered them to an SPCA animal rescue "shelter" in Philadelphia. From there the hounds were dispersed amongst other "shelters"." End of post

This is just so sad. People read this stuff on the internet when they google this situation and for this most part this is what they are getting. It is just so sad. These blogger are running off at the mouth, half cocked and fully loaded.

Another blogger tries to state the facts in his comment section but no one will listen.

http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2009/...f-nonsense.html

1. The limit on 12 dogs in Philadelphia is more than 25 years old. Anyone want to debate that?

2. The dogs here were in filth. There does not seem to be any disagreement on this matter. And yes, this is generally true for ALL cases where the SPCA steps in. Is that a surprise? And NO, the SPCA is not busting people for a turd or two in a kennel. You forget that they kennel dogs themselves. The job of owning dogs, however, is to keep those dogs OUT of filth. If you fail to do that for a long time, people call the SPCA as was the case here.

3. The owner of these bassett hounds could have placed her extra dogs in a private kennel. She could have done that right after the SPCA visited the first time, and called them back for a revisit. She did not do that. In fact, she did nothing. On the second visit, she refused to let them in and threw rocks at them. Bad move. On the third visit they arrived with police, trucks, and no doubt a camera for any court case the lady wanted to try to bring. Instead of going to court, she folded because she knew she was wrong. So, to recap: This woman volunatarily relenquished these dogs to rescue rather than find a place to legally board them. Some owner!

End of pertainet comments.

That was the same question I asked in question section. Why did the lady not whisk the hounds away to a boarding kennel? She knew full well what was going to happen. The PSPCA TOLD HER!!!!!!! If Wendy would have just boarded the hounds in a kennel or with one of her many supporters none of this would be happening. Look at all of the work this one situation has created. It is just overwhelming.


She sure seems to have a lot of big mouth bloggers sticking up for her. I bet not a single one would have showed up to clean her kennel. If you have 23 bassets going potty sometimes 3 times a day.......do the math. In the hot summer PA sun with the wind blowing it the neighbor's direction, phone calls will be made.

I do wonder where the MHB 11 are. I have no idea. Whoever has them is tight lipped.

Hopefully it will come out soon. Wendy, reportedly by a fellow basset hound pack owner, is a retired school teacher that very well may have been over her head in caring for these hounds.

Time will tell and I will keep digging......

I sure hope the right thing is done for the hounds

Cat

[admin]

Here is the latest blog from TERRIERMAN'S DAILY DOSE -Monday 8-10-09

This link will take you to his home page which he is commenting about the Murder Hill Bassets. He is presenting some facts with links on controversy surrounding the PSPCA.

There are also plenty of his thoughts on the matter. It is a long blog full of links. This blog is going to keep up with this story I can promise you that.

So, as you can imagine, I will be keeping up with it. I told you this was a political issue and when politics are involved emotions are high.

I am not a political blog and I never will be. I do voice some opinions especially when it comes to animals and I have known of similar experiences here in my neck of the woods with Fox hound packs. It is horrific how some dogs are treated for the pleasure of a group of grown ups sipping out of silver flasks.

Just a pity.

This is going to get dirty.........

More about what really matters later.......The 11 hounds caught in the middle

Cat

[admin]

I just got home an this was on one of the basset boards. It says to please cross post so this is with permission of the writer, Wendy of Murder Hollow Bassets....

The post is as follows:

"First a huge thank you for all your words of support and everything that you have done! I had my third visit today from the PSPCA and again threats of multiple citations if I didn't cooperate with these lovely folks. I can fill you in the details, but more important fish to fry (sorry, Jeep).

I have been deluged by phone calls and e-mails from all over the country, from a lawyer in GA (" forget the SPCA, go directly to the State Attorney General") to the manager of a shelter in IL ("can't believe.. and horrified"). The blogs seem to have been in over drive.

Good news is we got a very sympathetic article in one of the two major papers today. A reporter has also called from the Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as the AKC and the Chronicle of the Horse (Molly Sorgi? 804-994-2349). My problem is that if I respond personally, the SPCA has made it clear that I must "cooperate or multiple citations will be issued and there would be no PA Kennel License".

So here is my response to the PSPCA website (www.pspca.org/news), first article about the Murder Hollow Bassets. I cannot respond to anyone in the media or even the PSPCA, but I can let you know. Whatever you chose to do with my information, oh well.

1. Only one dog barking complaint from unknown neighbor, no other complaints. That neighbor has yet to come forth, although all, I mean all have expressed dismay in writing. Never in the 22 years of having a kennel here has anyone come to me to complain in person, writing, or e-mail.

2. The websites indicated that the SPCA left requests to be contacted. The 'Humane Law Officer' (her term, not mine) left a card in my door with no information, no requests for a call, no warnings or no citations a few days before the raid. Absolutely none. She could have left a note to call, because I get lots of cards from grass cutters to painters. No mention of any 12 dog limit in the city.

3. Yes, I initially refused entry with a long explanation about abuses due to the new Dog Law. Two Dog Law Officers (from Harrisburg in two trucks), three PSPCA officers (in three trucks, not including the small truck with those tiny multiple pens on the side), and two Police Officers (two police cars) quickly returned with a search warrant.

4. The PSPCA did NOT work with the owner to reduce the number of dogs. Officer Tara Loller repeatedly, repeatedly threatened to take all the dogs if I did not give her 10. Under extreme duress and far outnumbered, I handed over 10 hounds. Talk about Sophie's Choice in the dark. Then they found Hansel and demanded one more. I gave them my other house hound, taking off her collar and Invisible Fence collar. All the time crying hysterically and protesting loudly.

5. When forced to sign release papers for the now 11 hounds, I explained that Betsy Park was the technical owner of three and wrote her name at the bottom of the forms. (Betsy, sending you copies.) Officer Loller assured me that Betsy Park would get first consideration for adoption.

6. A 'Warning' for re-inspection was issued, but no other warning or citation. A copy of the Philadelphia Animals laws (17 pages) included 3 lines which stated "No residential dwelling unit shall keep a total of more than twelve (12) adult dogs or cats combined of which no more than four (4) may be unneutered", was left in my kennels. These laws were never handed to me before or after the raid, and I was never informed of these laws by my Philadelphia Vet or the Philadelphia Dog Licensing Agency that took my money year after year.

7. At the first re-inspection, the 'Humane Law Officer' was accompanied by an Assistant District Attorney, Barbara Paul. They found the conditions of the hounds (one bitch needed nail trimming, all done by my Vet) and kennels to be satisfactory (some ceiling insulation tiles were more securely fastened). The indentations in the limestone screenings outside the kennel made by random scratching will be filled with more screenings. That should have been accomplished, but the black cloud over the kennel dropped 6+" of rain on Sunday. Tons of stone are being dumped on the lane first.

8. The DA left her card and asked to be phoned with questions. I e-mailed her a question about the definition of "residential dwelling unit". Is the barn a separate unit? As it was constructed and only used by hounds, does that make the barn a residential unit? She replied that she could not give me that information because we may be in "adversarial positions" and directed me to the Philadelphia Bar Lawyer Referrals.

9. To date, no one has been told of the location of the seized hounds and no calls have been returned from Officer Ray Little, the PSPCA Adoption Agent. A neighboring Vet who has offered free health care for the life of the adoptees and wants Khaki has not heard from them. David Gottier who wants the two litter mates of his hounds and Sandy McKenna who wants the one year old fuzzy bitch have been stone walled. Dr. Roy Feldman and Pat Renner from my Hunt have not heard back. But there is an urgent message on the PSPCA website asking for foster homes and adoptions, because they have no room in the shelter.

Again, I am asking you to be in the position of the messenger, but feel free to ask me any questions. Thank you SO much.

Wendy

Julian Prager
Pennfedlaw@...

--- End forwarded message ---

End of posting by Wendy of Murder Hollow Bassets.......

OK - I need to totally digest this and I will be making comments later. Like I said this is going to get dirty. What is interesting is the fact that the PSPCA is pretty big into making YouTube videos. They have their own channel. At some point I wonder if they post what happened after they served the warrant.

It also sounds like a fair amount of folks are stepping up to help Wendy and take hounds for her. I guess she does not want them back, or maybe they just want to foster.

Again, I just got home and I want to read this over before I comment too much.

Please - feel free to comment yourself.

Cat

[admin]

Hi everyone - I have read Wendy's posting. It seems that I have already made comments to her posting in my above forum postings. I am finding nothing that I have already said necessary to change.

Wendy states that the good news is she got a very sympathetic article in one of the two papers today. Personally, I don't want sympathetic - I want objective!

I do find it interesting that Wendy states in item number 3 that she was fully aware of the "new dog laws" and found them abusive. That is why she claims she refused entry. However, she also claims that she had no idea why the PSPCA was coming to her home. See item number 2.

The law was not new. It had been on the books for many years. What was new is that they were enforcing the law as it applied to her.

I find it hard to believe that she did not know the law in her own area. Also in number 3 she talks about how a small truck was used to haul the 11 hounds away. This is a picture of what her friend and fellow pack member use to haul bassets in to the hunts. Can you imagine 25 hounds in this thing? It looks like an oven, or a freezer based upon the time of the year. Is that a blown out tire?



Then, when forced crying hysterically she give over 3 hounds that do not belong to her? Some woman named Betsy Park now has to hassle over this mess. I wonder why Wendy gave up Betsy's 3?

The good news is that it seems like people are standing up and helping this woman get her house in order. She claims lawyers are contacting her, vets are willing to pay all of her bills, and others want to adopt some of the pack. WENDY THAT IS A REAL DEAL! Go for it!

It is just a real shame that it has all had to come to this. Just pathetic. It just goes to show you how the actions of one person who does not like the law that is in place can cause this much havoc. It is too bad that she did not have some sound advise.

It would behoove us all to take some time out and figure out how many dogs we are allowed to have in our town. In my area it is 4. I know in Atlanta it is 4 as well because my sister lives there. In Wendy's area it is 12!

I am sure the breeding kennels are different based upon Commercial laws. All of this is ongoing and flames are flying but in this case we are talking residential.

If you are in violation of the law a neighbor can complain. Then the Animal Control officer shows up with a citation or a friendly chat. In my town, it is a friendly chat.

I know my AC officer and she works with me on the rescues that I assist in. Visit your local pound and get to know the folks. If you see violations report them. If you don't support them.

More later........

Cat

[admin]

This just in.........Monday evening 8-10-09

I have just learned that the PSPCA will be releasing another statement on the Murder Hollow Bassets as early as tomorrow via their website.

PSPCA - PENNSLVANIA SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

Follow everything I can find out right here in bassethoundtown hall.

Cat

[admin]

Group Research: What's the Legal Limit on Dogs?

Here's a question folks can group-research ....

• What's the legal limit on the number of dogs in the top 50 cities in the U.S.?
• And what's the legal limit on dogs where YOU live?

This is purely fact-finding mission.

Use the Google (please include a URL to the source) and add your answers into the comments section of this post.

I will aggregate it all at the end.

The top 50 cities, for the record, are:

• Albuquerque, N.M.
• Arlington, Texas
• Atlanta, Ga.
• Austin, Tex.
• Baltimore, Md.
• Boston, Mass.
• Charlotte, N.C.
• Chicago, Ill.
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Columbus, Ohio
• Dallas, Tex.
• Denver, Colo.
• Detroit, Mich.
• El Paso, Tex.
• Fort Worth, Tex.
• Fresno, Calif.
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Houston, Tex.
• Indianapolis, Ind.
• Jacksonville, Fla.
• Kansas City, Mo.
• Las Vegas, Nev.
• Long Beach, Calif.
• Los Angeles, Calif.
• Louisville/Jefferson County, Ky.
• Memphis, Tenn.
• Mesa, Ariz.
• Miami, Fla.
• Milwaukee, Wis.
• Minneapolis, Minn.
• Nashville-Davidson, Tenn.
• New Orleans, La.
• New York, N.Y.
• Oakland, Calif.
• Oklahoma City, Okla.
• Omaha, Nebr.
• Philadelphia, Pa.
• Phoenix, Ariz.
• Portland, Ore.
• Sacramento, Calif.
• St. Louis, Mo.
• San Antonio, Tex.
• San Diego, Calif.
• San Francisco, Calif.
• San Jose, Calif.
• Seattle, Wash.
• Tucson, Ariz.
• Tulsa, Okla.
• Virginia Beach, Va.
• Washington, DC
• Wichita, Kans.

Leave your comments as a reply and I will send them to Terrierman's Daily Dose

This is a good way to check what your laws are!

Cat!

[mom2scully]

You know, we've lived here a year and I never really bothered checking the limit in our area, since Scully will always be an only-hound. A quick search seems to show that we don't have a limit on dogs, which sort of surprises me. There is a 6 animal limit for all other small animals, except dogs.

http://delta.fileprosite.com/contentengine...nch.asp?ID=5132

[admin]

This was posted on the PSPCA website today, August 10, 2009 -

August 10, 2009
Murder Hollow Basset Hound Update
On Friday, August 7, 2009, Humane Law Enforcement officers from the Pennsylvania SPCA conducted a pre-arranged follow-up inspection of Murder Hollow, the location of an illegal basset hound kennel in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, PA. The owner had previously surrendered 11 dogs during the officers’ visit on Monday, July 27, 2009, due to unsanitary conditions, lack of veterinary care and more dogs than allowed by law.

Despite the time allotted to the owner to make improvements, overall living conditions remained poor at the second inspection, resulting in 11 citations for unsanitary conditions, 11 citations for lack of veterinary care and two tickets for barking. Graphic photos of the dogs detailing their condition and their housing have been turned over to the district attorney’s office.

We appreciate the continued outpouring of support for these dogs from the Bassett community.

Note from Cat - Where are all the outraged people who are blogging about this? Why are they not helping this lady? This lady, Wendy, appears to me to flat out not care. Is she thumbing her nose at the PSPCA?

Where are all of her foot pack members? Cat