Alert
5/8/08
The Dogs vs. Junior Horton
PLEASE
CROSS POST!!
Junior Horton
will be tried on Friday, 5/16/08, at 1pm in Carroll County.
If there ever was
a day to speak out for the animals, this is it.
We need you to come to the trial.
This is
where it all starts – with the Mr. Hortons of Carroll County, Virginia, and in places like his puppymill there.
Now it is
time to say to every citizen of Virginia and every elected official in Virginia that you will not tolerate animal cruelty
and flagrant violation of the law.
If you aren’t angry about what this man has done, let this refresh
your memory:
Background:
On 11/1/07, Carroll County Animal Control authorities were
contacted by Virginia Partnership for Animal Welfare and Support (VA PAWS) concerning a puppymill located in the Town of Hillsville.
A team of animal control professionals along with a veterinarian visited the property and found 1,080 small breed dogs
of various ages in several locations on the property, including buildings and cages. The owner/operator
of the puppy mill, Lanzie Horton, Jr., had a license to keep 500 dogs. He consented to the surrender of
980+ dogs on that date. Source: Carroll County Animal Control Press Release
There
was an outpouring of assistance from a network of shelters to aid in this rescue operation. Volunteers
from the Washington region joined others from Florida and New York who streamed to the rural town of Hillsville.
“It’s been incredible,” Carroll County Administrator Gary Larrowe said. Larrowe
had declared a state of emergency after hundreds of dogs were found living in filthy cages. Officials said
they think it is the largest suspected puppy mill ever found in the state. Source: Petloverstips.com,
11/11/07; Houston Chronicle, 11/11/07; inRich.com, 11/11/07.
Horton surrendered to authorities on 1/31/08 and was released
on $5,000 bond. Source: WHSV, Harrisonburg, VA News. He
was charged on 1/31/08 with 14 counts of animal cruelty (punishable by fine of $2,500 and 1 year in jail on each charge),
25 counts of animal neglect (punishable by fine of not more than $500 each count) and one count of failing to obtain a license
tax for 125 unlicensed adult dogs (punishable by fine of $250). The charges accuse Horton of depriving
dogs of necessary food, drink, shelter or emergency veterinary treatment, and of failing to adequately house, feed, water,
exercise or care for animals in his possession. Source: The Roanoke Times, 2/2/08.
What can happen:
Mr. Horton is charged with 14 counts of animal cruelty, and each count is punishable
by a fine of $2,500 and a year in jail. If found guilty of all 14 counts, that certainly should get
the attention of Mr. Horton and all the other Horton Wannabees in Virginia.
And do you know what has happened since?
Mr. Horton surrendered
over 980 dogs, letting others pick up the tab for his flagrant violation of the law as they fed, cared for, and provided veterinary
care for that incredible number of dogs.
And are you ready for this?
Mr. Horton is still in business, still selling dogs.
This case broke in November and
here we are, 6 months later, still waiting for justice to be meted out on behalf of the dogs.
And after many shelters and rescues
in Virginia and beyond spent over a quarter of a million dollars providing medical care and shelter to dogs from the Horton
puppymill.
There
is information on the case on the Carroll County website giving much information: http://gov.carrollcountyva.org/animalcontrol/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=3&MMN_position=8:8
Remember this and the Bland County fire (the Schmucker case) are the reasons you all worked so hard and were
successful in passing HB 538 – Del. Orrock’s puppymill bill. Now we need to you come to the
trial. We want a crowd – a large crowd!!
Please don’t say
it’s too far, or you have to work. Many of you can make the drive, and many of you
can take a day away to do this. It is that important.
We know about the cost of gas,
and if any of you can’t attend because of gas cost, let us know and a gas fund will be established, or just call it
the tax deduction to VAW (Virginians for Animal Welfare) that it is.
Under any circumstances, get your email machine out and start sending to as many
as you can, and tell others, in Carroll County or elsewhere, to do the same. This isn’t a Carroll
County problem. It’s a Virginia problem. No, it’s an American problem.
And this is hardly the way Carroll
County wants Virginia and the rest of the country to think of it.
Let Carroll County officials know the animal welfare community across the US is
watching, and Carroll County is on the radar screen whether it wants to be or not.
Let the people who run Carroll County know that you want
Mr. Horton convicted and sentenced to the max – no token fines, no little slaps on the wrist, no more continuances
– just do it and convict him, put him out of business, and prevent him from having any further commercial involvement
with dogs. He deserves no less.
Here are the contacts, and you needn’t be clever or long-winded.
Just say you fully expect Mr. Horton will be severely punished if convicted, and you expect nothing like this will
ever happen there again.
The trial starts at 1:00 pm on Friday, 5/16/08 at:
Carroll County General District Court
605 Pine Street; Hillsville,
VA 24343-0698
phone: 276-730-3050
fax: 276-730-3054
Clerk: Donna Janette Webb
email: dwebb@courts.state.va.us
Prosecutor:
Gregory Goad, Commonwealth Attorney
PO Box 280; Hillsville, VA 24343
phone:
276-730-3091
fax: 276-728-5111
email: ggoad@carrollcountyva.org
Asst. Commonwealth Attorney: Karen O. Boyer
phone:
276-730-3090
email: kboyer@carrollcountyva.org
County Administrator, Carroll County: Gary Larrowe
605-1 Pine Street;
Hillsville, VA 24343
phone: 276-730-3001
fax: 276-730-3004
CarrollAdmin@CarrollCountyva.org
These are the members of
the Carroll County Board of Supervisors:
Sam Dickson,
Chairman, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
SDickson@CarrollCountyva.org
David
Hutchins, Vice Chairman, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
DHutchins@CarrollCountyva.org
Wesley
Hurst, Member, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
WHurst@CarrollCountyva.org
Andrew
Sanford Jackson, Member, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
AJackson@CarrollCountyva.org
Tom
Littrell, Member, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
TLittrell@CarrollCountyva.org
Manus
McMillian, Member, Carroll County Board of Supervisors
MMcMillian@CarrollCountyva.org
Also
contact the Carroll County Attorney (different than the Commonwealth Attorney):
James E. Cornwell,
Carroll County Attorney
JCornwell@SandsAnderson.com
Send a short note to the Carroll
County Office of Tourism, suggesting how this case reflects on Carroll County:
Donnie Turner,
Chairman, Carroll County Office of Tourism
DTurner@CarrollCountyVA.org
Please also contact the Commonwealth
Attorney for your own county (see your county/city website) and ask them what they suggest you do to draw attention to the
Horton case, and ask what they will do if puppymills are found in your own county.
Please contact the State Veterinarian and ask him how he and his staff are working
to eliminate puppymills in Virginia. Ask nicely but ask exactly what they have done to expedite proper
implementation of Virginia law with the Horton case and other puppymills in Virginia.
Richard Wilkes,
DVM, State Veterinarian, Virginia
Richard.Wilkes@vdacs.virginia.gov
Please contact the Animal Control
Officer for Carroll County, Terry Woods, and ask what he may need to do his job and make sure the law is enforced, particularly
with the Horton puppymill, but also generally in Carroll County.
Terry Woods, Animal Control Officer, Carroll
County
TWoods@CarrollCountyva.org
A long way to drive for some of
you, many contacts for each of you to make, but doing this is why we are all involved. This only gets better
if everyone gets involved. You now have a chance to make something happen. Grab the
chance and do it.
Thank you.
Lillian Clancy and Don Marro
