Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
RIVERSIDE — Staff and volunteers from PAWS, the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Iowa City Animal Shelter, and the State of Iowa Certified Veterinarian all joined a rescue operation at a dog breeding business about a mile and a half south of Riverside on Friday, where police said they executed a search warrant.
A copy of that warrant filed with the county’s clerk of court on Tuesday said police had reason to believe the property owner and owner of business BR’s Dobermans, Terry Yoder, may have violated several animal care laws involving neglect, abuse, torture and rabies vaccinations, although no charges were publicly announced as of Wednesday morning.
Two of the shelter and rescue groups involved said 49 live animals were removed from the property, as well as 17 others which were deceased. A veterinarian’s memo attached to the warrant’s inventory said the animal conditions at the site were “unacceptable,” reporting corpses found on the property, poor ventilation, a lack of outdoor access, evidence of ear cropping, unstable floors and fences, and “feces on almost all flooring.”
PAWS & More Shelter Director Amber Talbot said 16 of the rescues were now safely housed with her organization in Washington, where they’ll remain while any pending legal actions against Yoder play out.
She said the animals couldn’t be adopted in the meantime, occupying most of the shelter’s space for dogs. Talbot added that several animals previously at PAWS were sent to foster homes or other groups to make space for the newer rescues in Washington.
“It can take several months, so it does put a strain on the organization,” she said. “We took really the maximum that we can hold, and … it’s very difficult because we’re on hold, and we can’t do anything with the animals.”
The Animal Rescue League of Iowa, in a press release published Tuesday, gave a grim account of the scene.
“In one particularly heartbreaking moment, we discovered a sick mama dog kenneled alone in cold room that was so dark we had to use our phone lights to see,” said the press release. “We were told that all the pups in her most recent litter had died. Our hearts hurt for her as she walked quietly into the daylight to our rescue vehicle.”
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in an email that “multiple Doberman breed canines were humanely removed from the business,” but declined to comment further on the case.
Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
