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Slain dogs honored
Berks breeders shot 80 canines last month
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Aug 16, 2008
01:11 EST
Kutztown
By SUSAN E. LINDT, Staff

Main Line Animal Rescue's Bill Smith, with his dog, "H.B.," named for House Bill 2525, talks with poli...(more)
 
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More than 100 people turned out for a Friday candlelight vigil near the Kutztown kennels where two far...(more)
 
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Under a full moon, more than 100 people gathered on a country road here Friday night for a somber candlelight vigil to remember 80 dogs shot to death by two Amish farmers late last month.

The farmers, Elmer Zimmerman of E&A Kennel, and his brother, Ammon Zimmerman of A&J Kennel, operated large-scale breeding kennels on adjacent properties at 15416 Kutztown Road and 201 Kohler Road, respectively.

On Friday night, Elmer Zimmerman parked a tractor across his lane to block the crowd from his property. Animal advocates representing Lancaster's United Against Puppy Mills, Main Line Animal Rescue in Chester Springs, North Penn Puppy Mill Watch in Montgomery County, New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse, Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and various other organizations sang "Amazing Grace" and left 80 chrysanthemums and 80 dog biscuits by Zimmerman's tractor in memory the 80 dogs shot to death by the brothers.

"These were dogs with no names. These were dogs that none of us ever knew," said Jenny Stephens of North Penn Puppy Mill Watch. "These were dogs who never knew the kindness a human hand can offer and these were dogs who died a violent and terror-filled death with no one to comfort them."

After a July 24 inspection of his kennel, Elmer Zimmerman faced several citations for poor kennel sanitation and maintenance, and was ordered to seek veterinary care for 39 of his 85 dogs.

Jessie Smith, deputy secretary of the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, said Elmer Zimmerman told the inspecting dog warden that he planned to close his kennel, but he did not want to surrender his dogs to an animal rescue organization or shelter as the warden suggested.

Smith said Elmer Zimmerman contacted the inspecting warden several days later to say he killed 70 of his dogs.

Although Ammon Zimmerman's kennel had not been inspected and he faced no citations at the time, he also called a dog warden to say he shot 10 of his dogs and was going out of the breeding business.

The shootings shocked the well-organized world of animal advocates, as well as state officials endorsing House Bill 2525, which proposes sweeping changes to state laws governing breeder dogs who spend their lives in the state's hundreds of large-scale commercial breeding kennels.

"The decision by commercial breeders to kill healthy dogs instead of paying to repair a kennel and seek veterinary care is alarming and will likely outrage many people," state Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff said in a statement released earlier this week. "Until our state's outdated dog law is changed, kennel owners may continue to kill their dogs for any reason they see fit, even if it is simply to save money."

On Friday night, people at the vigil expressed horror at the fate of the Zimmermans' dogs. Some saw the Zimmermans' actions as a spiteful retaliation against Gov. Ed Rendell's initiative to curb the lucrative puppy mill business.

"It absolutely sucked the wind out of me when I heard," said Libby Williams of New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse. "Is there no end to the depravity of these people? I do think it was spite. But they did the state a favor. People are now learning the truth about the 'gentle' Plain people. And this has been in every newspaper across the country."

Howard Nelson, CEO of PSPCA, cut short his vacation by a day and drove straight to the vigil after he heard the news.

"It's not uncommon for puppy millers to shoot or drown their dogs instead of spending money on medical care," Nelson said. "There may have been some spite in this case, but I'm just calling it pure evil."

Rendell, who pushed for legislation to improve breeder dogs' living conditions in an effort to dissolve the state's reputation as a puppy mill hub, also is aware of the Zimmermans' actions.

Rendell scheduled a news conference for 2 p.m. today in Philadelphia's Schuylkill River Dog Park to comment on the Zimmerman incident and the need for H.B. 2525.

"The governor is very, very upset by this," Rendell spokeswoman Teresa Candori said this week. "He is a dog lover, and he's outraged by this news. He believes this is evidence that House Bill 2525 is desperately needed."

Also reacting to the story was Stephanie Shain of the Humane Society of the United States.

"This shooting highlights the rampant problems with commercial breeding in Pennsylvania," Shain said. "This industry is in desperate need of reform and oversight."

The state may have more to lose than breeder dogs if H.B. 2525 dies.

Author, psychologist and animal welfare advocate Jana Kohl has vowed to wage war on Pennsylvania's Amish tourism industry by exposing inhumane treatment of breeder dogs by the Amish and Mennonite communities.

"Two thousand of the country's 10,000 commercial breeding kennels are owned by Amish and Mennonites," Kohl said earlier this month. "One of the ways to impact (this industry) is to shame and embarrass them by putting as many billboards and ads in as many places as possible. We can point the finger to Pennsylvania as aiding and abetting this horrific business that is nothing more than legalized torture."

On Friday night, people at the vigil called out the names of "the guilty," legislators who opposed or failed to endorse amending current dog laws. Included were Lancaster County state Reps. Dave Hickernell and Gordon Denlinger, who last year called Lancaster dog breeding "an issue of farmland preservation" and said, "There's a certain question about the removal of a person's livelihood. Should an animal enforcement officer be able to throw a person out of their occupation on a given day?"

For her part, Kohl, whose family founded Kohl's department stores, promises her clout isn't the only force behind the coming campaign.

"A lot of people with a lot of money and resources are prepared to venture into a campaign like this," she said. "It's going to be a bigger and more embarrassing campaign than people expect, and it's going to shock."

E-mail: slindt@lnpnews.com


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Checked the article on another website and no mention of it being a record. It also said only one person was taking care of them. Can't imagine, I know how much work 3 can be especially during shedding season. Nice part was when I turned on the vacuum they all came running. Helps to get the hair at the source.
Makita
The thing is - we don't need legislation to make killing and abusing kids a crime....It already is a crime. So instead of being stupid and comparing the treatment of dogs in puppy mills with children why not just work toward stopping abuse period, no matter who it is inflicted on. It is a proven fact that people that abuse animals are more likely to be abusive to children. Bravo to the people that turned out for this vigil, keep up the fight.
tbone_dec
09-17-08 -- House Bill 2525 Passes House
By: North Penn Puppy Mill Watch

At approximately 2:35 P.M. House Bill 2525 passed the House with a vote of 181 for and 17 against.
Makita
We have won a major battle......BUT NOT YET THE WAR

I wanted to let everyone know that our petition drive on www.savingpuppies.com is a hit! Over 2000 petitions signed in just the last 8 hours.

BUT THAT IS NOT ENOUGH

In the Senate the PVMA will be lobbying to amend the bill to take out key humane provisions and, like the house they will fail. But it will take work and here is where you come in.

We want 15,000 petitions signed by Sunday.

I know many of you have sent out emails to your contact groups asking them to go to the site and sign the petition. Thank you for that.

But now we want you to resend out the email highlighting the urgency that they take action now. After today there are only 6 days left on the Senate calendar to pass this bill - - 6.

I ask that you once again contact everyone you know and urge them to go to www.savingpuppies.com, sign the petition AND THEN ASK THEM TO SEND EVERY ONE OF THEIR FRIENDS A MESSAGE TO DO THE SAME.

Thanks in advance.

Tom Hickey

We are down to the wire on eliminating the puppy mills. Anyone that would like to help eliminate them this is your chance. A lot of people on talk back wondered how they can help, this is it.
Makita
10-08-08 -- State House, Senate Approve Reformed Dog Law
By: Tim Darragh, The Morning Call

After nearly two years of contentious lobbying, discussion and debate, the state Legislature is sending a reformed dog law overhaul to Gov. Ed Rendell.

The state Senate and the House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill that gives most commercial kennel owners an additional three years to comply with an array of new regulations to make their kennels more humane.

Language added to the bill also gives the state agriculture secretary of the state Department of Agriculture the power to extend that waiver even longer.

But even with provisions that supporters said water down the legislation, it still was an advancement for animal welfare in Pennsylvania, they declared.

"This is the day that we eliminate" Pennsylvania's reputation "as the puppy mill capital of the East," said state Rep. James Casorio, D-Westmoreland, the prime sponsor. "The mistreatment of thousands and thousands and thousands of dogs kept in deplorable and inhumane will no longer stand."

The final House vote was 183-7. No area representative voted against the measure. Earlier Wednesday, the bill sailed through the Senate 49-1, with only Sen. John H. Eichelberger, R-Blair, voting no.
Makita
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