News
Anonymous Tip Leads to Jail Time for Oklahoma Commercial Breeders
November 18, 2008, 6:57PM MT
By Kelli Ohrtman
Couple jailed and charged with 12 counts of animal cruelty.
Couple jailed and charged with 12 counts of animal cruelty.
On October 31, Deputy Mark Berry of Delaware County Oklahoma traveled to Jay, a small city near the Arkansas border, to investigate a breeding facility after receiving a tip from an anonymous caller. Thanks to that tip, nearly 100 dogs are now safe and sound in rescue and on their way to new homes.
As the deputy explored the farm that Halloween day, he found several instances of animal abuse and neglect, including approximately 100 dogs jammed into filthy, unkempt cages without food or water. Sadly, the dogs were in diverse stages of emaciation. One cage measuring 4 feet by 5 feet contained ten animals. Deputy Barry also observed deceased dogs in cages with live dogs.
On November 3rd, the deputy filed his report with the district attorney, who intends to seek felony animal cruelty charges against the kennel owner.
Delaware County officials arrested Sue Davis, 52 and her boyfriend Randall Dick, 55 on Nov. 5. Deputy Mark Berry reported that the pair was taken to the Delaware County Jail. Both are accused of neglecting 98 dogs found on Davis' dog breeding enterprise.
The couple mentioned to authorities they last fed the animals on October 25—six days before the Deputy arrived at the farm to investigate.
Delaware County District Court prosecutors charged Randall Dick and Sue Davis with 12 counts of felony cruelty to animals on allegations that they mistreated dozens of dogs and did not provide them with food and water at their breeding facility.
Davis and Dick remain in the Delaware County Jail on $20,000 bond each.
Davis signed over custody of the dogs to the Grove Humane Society http://members.petfinder.com/~OK02/index.html which placed them with Denver Dumb Friends League, a private animal welfare organization.
Click the links below for the full story:
Tulsa World
KTUL.com
What you can do:
All the dogs have been moved to the Denver Dumb Friends League in Denver, CO. Visit their website for more information: www.ddfl.org
Click here to download “Nine Things You can do to Help Stop Puppy Mills”
To learn more about the Tulsa World’s exposé on Oklahoma puppy mills, visit their website: www.tulsaworld.com/puppymills
By Conni Baker: Best Friends Volunteer Writer
Main photo by Clay Myers (unrelated to case)