Update July 21: Signs of progress emerge after month of stagnation in efforts to save dogs from closed sanctuary.
Very little progress has been made in finding homes for the former Canine Angels dogs in the last month, in large part due to conflict among the people who have converged to try to help the sanctuary animals, as well as disputes with the Canine Angels founders.
However, the original founders of the sanctuary, Sue Wells and Lynette Rowe, have now left the sanctuary property. According to a news report from the
Athens Banner-Herald, Wells and Rowe may face animal cruelty charges in connection to 10 of their personal dogs they left behind in their house.
The article reported that animal control officers needed respirators to enter the house because of the extensive amount of urine and feces contained within, after the sheriff's department served a search warrant to remove the dogs. Nine of the dogs were taken to a veterinarian's office for treatment.
The 114 dogs on the sanctuary grounds were reportedly in good condition. The Department of Agriculture has indicated a continued williness to work with the owner of the sanctuary dogs, Jim Willis, as well as volunteers who have come to the sanctuary to help place the animals. One of the volunteers who has taken charge of animal care at the sanctuary is Cassandra Koster, a field officer for KAT 5, an animal rescue group started during Katrina.
Willis reports there are immediate plans to move some of the dogs, including approximately 57 dogs who are to go to an Atlanta-area veterinarian and a St. Simon's based animal rescue organization within the next few days.
Potential adopters can call (740) 972-6754 for more information, or see
www.negacanineangles.com. Although Wells and Rowe have been prohibited from taking further donations, a new donations address through PayPal has been set up to provide for continued care of the dogs, though rescueangeldogs.cassandra@gmail.com.
Update June 20: Jim Willis reports that the Department of Agriculture is cooperating with him to give him time to place the dogs, and he expects he will have about a month to find them homes before they are confiscated. Stay tuned for information about Willis's adoption drive!
Update June 6: Georgia Agriculture Commissioner has agreed to postpone confiscation until June 20. Rescuers now race to place dogs in time.
June 4 update: A standoff at a Georgia animal sanctuary resulted in a temporary reprieve for sanctuary supporters Friday, as they blocked state officials from gaining access to the property, and the state was delayed in its effort to seize the sanctuary’s dogs.
Supporters of
Canine Angels Rescues and Referrals, Inc. blocked the front gate with their vehicles when the representatives of the state Department of Agriculture arrived to take possession of the sanctuary’s dogs, according to rescuer Jim Willis.
The state was taking possession of the dogs under the terms of a consent agreement signed by Sue Wells, one of the owners of the sanctuary, which put an end to two years of state investigations of the facility.
State officials retreated briefly when rebuffed Friday, and then returned with a court order to allow an immediate inspection, along with a dozen police cars and a truck from the local animal control facility – “enough police power to shut down a meth lab,” according to one observer.
Willis says he had instructed the sanctuary supporters not to get ugly with authorities, so they backed away from the gate and allowed inspectors in. Even though volunteers have been working tirelessly to make sure everything in the sanctuary is in order – and the facility got a clean inspection report from the state just a week ago – Willis says inspectors returned that evening with a seven-page report of violations.
“It all shows how petty and vindictive they are by their behavior – they don’t care at all about the welfare of dogs,” Willis says
He says the state has now obtained a court order that allows them to take possession of the sanctuary’s dogs June 7, although lawyers working on behalf of Willis will ask Monday for an extension of that order.
Willis says he doesn’t think the court order allowing the seizure of dogs belonging to “Canine Angels” is valid, because the ownership of all the dogs have been legally transferred to him.
Author of the widely-circulated essay
“How Could You?” , and the bestselling book
“Pieces of My Heart,” Willis says he has adopted all of the sanctuary’s remaining dogs himself. He says the property is now being run as a satellite placement effort of his Tiergarten Sanctuary Trust, and that he will take responsibility for finding the animals good homes.
“I think my ownership of the animals is absolute, it is black and white. Under the law the animals are property, and they shifted that property to me,” he says. “When they show up to haul away the dogs of Canine Angels, they are going to be taking my dogs.”
Representatives of the Georgia Department of Agriculture did not return calls requesting comment.
Willis says the sanctuary is now down to just over 130 dogs, and is working to place them with responsible owners and no-kill facilities as quickly as possible. He asks anyone who is able to help to contact Canine Angels, or if they can’t get through, to email him directly.
Canine Angels can be reached at (706) 213-9001 or (706) 296-4488, or through email at adopt@canineangels.com. Willis may be reached at tiergartenjim@yahoo.com.
See original story:
Standoff with state brews at Georgia animal sanctuary, as rescuer steps in to try to save dogs.