www.columbusdogconnection.com/ReportingPupMill.htm
Reporting a Puppy Mill or Nuisance Breeder The following information is intended to give the average person a starting point with which to report a puppy mill or nuisance breeder. The definition of a puppy mill can vary according to who you ask, but in general, a puppy mill has many dogs in poor conditions with little to no vet care. A back yard breeder is a person who is breeding dogs (smaller scale than a puppy mill) for monetary gain and is not interested in the betterment of the breed. This information has been collected by talking with the agencies listed, writing to state agencies and reporting puppy mills/back yard breeders and brokers to the agencies. If you know of something that should be listed, please email me the info and I will add it.
com Puppy mills continue to exist because they find ways around rules and laws. The best plan of attack in reporting a puppy mill is to report them to every agency that can and will inspect, fine, or suspend them. It seems the only way to "shut them" down is to make doing business so hard, in that they have to answer to several agencies, that they won't want to bother. If you are lucky enough to get them in court, the hope is that a judge will not allow them to have guardianship of a dog for a period of years. When the raid is physically over, your next best move is to have a lawyer ready to present the county prosecutor with evidence and information from as many county and state agencies as possible. Your goal now is to seek immediate release of guardianship of the dogs/pups from the mill. you just took their cash crop and they will want all or some of the dogs back. You will want to show the miller and the prosecutor as many of the following agencies are going to be pursuing some action. Hopefully, feeling pressured, the miller will release guardianship of the dogs. You can then begin spaying/neutering and adopting them out. If this drags into a court case, you will likely be looking at several months until the dogs can be adopted out. Even then, the possibility exists that you will have to return some/all of the dogs. Ohio has the weakest humane laws of any state in the country. If you are reading from another state, you will want to explore the "humane laws" of your state as they may be able to do more than our laws, but this is a general list that should apply. You may have different agency names and your state may have a different reporting system than you see listed here. This is the list of agencies to report the puppy mill to. The reason to follow the order is that the goal is to permanently shut them down. They make money because they have the ability to say their dogs are "AKC". You want the first agency involved to be the agency that can do the greatest amount of damage to the operation.
Dog description form to assist you when government agencies take over puppy mill situations. This form is meant to be printed on one piece of paper, on front and back. hopefully dramatically enough to force them out of business for a while. The AKC is the only agency that can "knock on their door" and ask for immediate entry. If the puppy miller does not allow them in, this is an automatic suspension. If the puppy miller lets the AKC in, the inspector will see that all AKC rules are being followed. If minor infractions are apparent, the miller may get written warnings and advised to clean up and/or rectify paper records. If the inspector finds discrepancies in paper work and/or housing, the miller can still be suspended. If suspended, the miller must rectify all situations and invite the AKC back at a cost to the miller. The best way to report way to report a miller to the AKC is by faxing a first person account of what was seen at the property. Things to note when reporting a puppy miller: -Is the address the same on the papers as the address you visit the dog at? If not, ask what the relationship of the two people are. If a person is suspended from AKC, they are to have no contact with breeding/selling AKC dogs -Are adult male dogs housed in the same enclosure as female dogs? If a son in law or friend is living at the residence, try to get their names. Note the street name for spelling and other names: example High Street is the same as Rt 23. Once you fax a report, the AKC will determine, from your statements, if a surprise inspection is warranted. Stating facts, dates, physical descriptions is the best way to get an inspection. so this again is why it is best to involve the AKC first. A dog warden may be more inclined to investigate upon the advice of the AKC rather than a concerned citizen of the county. Ohio law is weak as far as basic needs of a companion animal. If a dog has shelter, food and water, this is adequate care according to current Ohio revised code. If a dog is in need of medical attention, you can also call the local police dept. Often times, dog wardens will issues warnings with time given to rectify a situation. Sometimes it is advantageous to keep in direct contact with dog wardens as they are busy with many situations and a gentle reminder that you are inquiring about the status is sometimes needed. If conditions are bad, urge the dog warden to file charges. If the warden is reluctant, speak with your county prosecuting office. There are situations that wardens may be aware of and perhaps may not pursue due to limited resources. Busting a puppy mill is an overwhelmingly large job, lots of dogs to deal with, where will you house them, the legalities of removing the dogs, the follow up investigation etc... This is a stressful situation and some counties may not have the facilities and/or man power to handle the amount of work.
sample letter State of Ohio Dept of Taxation Ohio Tax Fraud 800-757-6091 for general information. Report puppy millers or nuisance breeders/back yard breeders for Tax Fraud. In speaking with the tax department, this would not apply to mix breed dogs. Best case scenario is that when you report a miller/back yard breeder, the criminal investigations unit will be able to follow up and press charges, give fines and sometimes collect back taxes. Sometimes the dept of investigations will hand the investigation over to the civil tax department and the person reported will be audited. The penalties may be less severe, but hopefully this will be a deterrent to breed again. If you suspect a miller or breeder, a great way to keep track is to keep copies of the Sunday Classifieds. You will greatly help your case when you report it if you can provide copies of ads that list pure breed dogs for sale. This will give the tax investigator an idea of how much tax this person may owe.
Ohio County Information ********************************************************************** **************** *If you suspect that a nuisance breeder/puppy miller is on any public assistance, report them for fraud -Worker's Compensation 800-OHIO-BWC option 4, option 5 -Disability Services 800-282-4536 -Welfare/Health/Medicaid 614-462-7111 4 Dept of Health Dept of Health is organized by counties but sometimes organized by cities or combined counties in rural areas. If you don't see your county, look under the largest nearby city.
Dept of Health can investigate standing water, urine, feces, unhealthy living conditions which could include holes in walls, trash, filth, cat and dog carcasses. If tenants won't allow the Health Inspector in, they will contact sheriff's office for assistance.
This would apply when a broker or store is buying from a breeder or puppy mill or back yard breeder then re-selling to a pet store. If you see pups for sale in a retail store or by a broker that are less than 8 wks of age, report that store, broker and breeder. Dept of Ag will also investigate large animal carcasses, but not cat or dog carcasses. You can still leave your name/contact info, but unless you specify an "anonymous" report, your report becomes public record and can be shared with those you are reporting. Zoning could be involved when it is against zoning to run a business from a property. If you are breeding/selling AKC dogs, you must have a vendor's license and collect tax.
us 800-282-0515 Onc...
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