A Bay Springs man has been cited for animal neglect after the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department seized more than 40 dogs from a puppy mill operating in the area.
Richard Stockman, age unknown, of Bay Springs, was cited, but was not arrested because he has to care for his shut-in mother, said Jasper County Sheriff Kenneth Cross.
“For now, we’ve just written a ticket for animal neglect,” Cross said. “We may end up writing some more before it’s all said and done.”
Sally Davidson, who works as an animal cruelty investigator with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, said Stockman could face at least 43 individual charges of animal neglect for the dogs that were seized from the property.
“Warrants haven’t been issued yet, but he could face one charge for each dog,” she said. “We only took the sick and injured ones, but there’s probably an estimated 40 more out there.”
Davidson said the 43 dogs being sheltered by the county are a large variety of breeds including Corgi, Shih Tzu, Poodle, Basset Hound, Pomeranian, Chihuahua and Schnauzer.
“We’ve never really handled this many animals at one time, especially with so many problems,” she said. “We’re experiencing lots of neglect issues such as starvation, matting in the longer-haired breeds, crippling and tooth loss.”
Davidson said the puppy mill is one of many operating in Jasper, Jones and Wayne counties.
“There’s actually quite a few of them operating out there,” she said. “When I got the information, I went straight to Sheriff Cross. He immediately sent me over there with a deputy. He didn’t hesitate to take action on it.”
Davidson said two representatives from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) flew into the area from New York City after hearing the news.
“We work with them over the phone quite a bit, but this is the first time they’ve actually come out,” she said. “Once I looked at the conditions, I made contact with them. They in turn also offered immediate assistance.”
Jeff Eyre, director of field operations for the ASPCA, said his organization has worked to put together an investigative package for the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department.
“We looked at the case and set up some procedures,” he said. “Basically, we organized what they had and will be providing a report in the very near future.”
Eyre said ASPCA was needed because the number of dogs seized overwhelmed local animal welfare services.
Allison Cardona, ASPCA director of disaster response, added that Charles Chaplin of Oxford, Miss.-based Tailwaggers for Life will be in Bay Springs today to transport all of the dogs back to the Oxford Humane Society.
“The most important thing is for these dogs to get the veterinary care that they need,” she said. “A lot them are very thin with severe matting. They need treatment first and foremost. Once they’re healthy enough to be spayed, neutered and vaccinated, then they can be placed up for adoption.”
In a press release, Matt Bershadker, ASPCA senior vice president of anti-cruelty, said, “Animal cruelty is unacceptable, and we are doing everything we can to lend our support to this critical operation. This includes collecting evidence for possible prosecution of the criminal case, as well as providing for the animals’ immediate needs on-scene, such as feeding, watering and making sure all animals are checked by veterinarians.”
In addition to those groups, other agencies assisting include Healthy Happy Pet Adoptions, which is providing crates, supplies and personnel; Mississippi F.A.C.T. (Fighting Animal Cruelty Together), which is providing shelter volunteers; and the Mississippi Board of Animal Health, which is providing supplies.
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