linda040899
06-11-2005, 09:03 AM
From Bird Breeder-Hobbyist:
Subject: Will bird breeders be targeted next?
ABC 20/20's Expose of "SPCA of Texas"
From: Responsible Pet Owners Alliance,
the reasonable voice regarding animal issues.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is an animal welfare
organization,
not "animal rights" and, yes, there is a difference.
Permission granted to crosspost.
This is a partial transcript from ABC's 20/20 that aired
Friday, June 3 ....
not the entire segment however.
---------------------------------------------------------
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=817494&page=1
Animal Rescuers or Thieves?
Some Owners Accuse Their SPCA Chapter of Taking Their
Pets And Selling Them
Commentary By John Stossel
SPCAs have an image of being animal rescuers. And there's
no question that the many Societies for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals around the country do a lot of good
work, rushing in to save animals from abusive people.
But some people who've had animals taken away by animal
rescuers say some SPCAs have acted like petty tyrants on
power trips. They say they use their police powers to
take away people's animals, even when the animals don't
need rescuing.
I found that hard to believe, but lots of people have
been saying that their local SPCA has wrecked their
lives.
We spent a year investigating the SPCA, looking at 50
cases from New York to California. Many people think that
SPCAs have a national headquarters, but SPCAs are really
separate, independent operations located in towns across
the country. Some animal owners claimed that when they
became overextended in caring for their animals, an SPCA
accused them of neglect, confiscated their animals and
sold them.
The SPCAs then keep the money.
'Equine Shopping Mall'
One case we followed involved a New Jersey SPCA office
accusing horse owner Joe Stuebing of starving his
animals.
He said the horses had lost weight simply because they
were sick and he was overwhelmed. But a local SPCA filed
charge after charge against him for what it said was
inhumane treatment. Then they took custody of his horses,
some of which were champion bloodlines valued together at
almost $1 million.
Stuebing says that the day after the SPCA took custody of
his horses at Stuebing's own barn, they invited people to
his farm to take his horses out from under him. "This was
like an equine shopping mall. Like it was ripe for the
pickings," Stuebing told "20/20."
"They are a self-righteous group of people that are in it
for money," said Stuebing. "They don't care about the
horses. They don't care about anything else, except
money."
That's a charge we heard repeatedly from people who lost
animals.
Sometimes the owners hire lawyers and file appeals, but
they rarely win. Judges usually side with the SPCAs.
After all, the animal rescuers are the experts, aren't
they?
SPCA Leader Crafts Media Image
Dave Garcia has confiscated thousands of animals in
several states. He now heads the Dallas SPCA, one of the
biggest such organizations in America.
You get a sense of how important he considers his work
when you listen to his opinion about the kind of people
who abuse animals.
"If they beat a dog to death, then it's just a step up to
beat a co-worker, or beat a classmate or and then a step
up to . kill someone and then a step up to do a mass
murder," Garcia told "20/20."
On local television, Garcia is often portrayed as a
savior rescuing animals. And he has saved a lot of
animals from abusive people.
"I should not have to warn someone to take care of their
animals," said Garcia. "If they're here to make money
with them, then take care of them."
Garcia led an effort to get Texas politicians to pass a
law saying once a Justice of the Peace approves one of
the SPCA's confiscations, an owner can't do anything
about it.
Under Garcia's leadership, the Dallas SPCA has seen
financial penalties against animal owners quadruple.
The SPCA invites television crews along on their raids
confiscating animals. Such broadcasts spur the public to
make big donations -- a total of $6 million last year to
the Dallas SPCA -- which helps pay Garcia's $80,000
annual salary.
One of those raids occurred at Renee Moore's dog kennel,
with TV reporters stating 120 dogs lived in deplorable
conditions.
But Moore's dogs are show dogs. Some of them were thin,
she said, because they were nursing large litters of
puppies. Vets and breeders told us it can be normal for a
dog's ribs to show when a dog is nursing lots of puppies.
But the SPCA took custody of all of Renee's dogs,
including award-winners -- worth up to $600 each. After
the radio, her vet wrote that while "housing and
sanitation needed improvement" and suggested a cutback in
the number of animals, he also said "Moore does care
about and care for her animals, no starvation was
evident." A judge upheld the confiscation.
Unable to afford a lawyer, Renee wrote her own lawsuit
charging the SPCA with stealing, but the suit was
dismissed. Renee's livelihood was destroyed. She and her
husband were forced to sell their home and move into a
trailer.
"I would like to see them punished for what they've
done," said Moore. "And they humiliated me on TV and I'd
like them to apologize to me on TV."
'20/20' Follows Garcia On a Raid
All this made us want to see firsthand how Garcia works.
So we asked and received permission to go along on an
SPCA raid.
Garcia didn't know that our cameraman was a veterinarian,
Dr. Gaylon TeSlaa.
Early one morning last September, "20/20" accompanied
Garcia as he went with a police officer to a Justice of
the Peace to get the warrant needed to raid a dog kennel.
He claimed the owner didn't provide adequate food, water
and shelter, and showed photos of what he said were
filthy kennels.
After a brief informal hearing, Garcia got permission to
raid, which meant he and an armed police officer could go
to the kennel without any warning.
Garcia told us to expect to see animals that were urine
soaked and fecal stained. "20/20" didn't see that.
TeSlaa said, while there was some neglect because the
owner had been away for four days, it was correctable.
Since her being away was an unusual event, he saw no
cruelty and certainly no reason to confiscate the dogs.
But Garcia saw cruelty and said the dogs needed to be
saved.
"Under Texas state law, these animals have been cruelly
treated. The definition of cruelly treated is having to
live in your own feces, unsanitary conditions, no food or
water," said Garcia.
But when people keep animals, there's routinely feces
found in the cages. "That's part of having an animal,"
said TeSlaa.
Moments after the SPCA finished collecting the dogs, the
owner arrived. Pam Chennault said she couldn't believe
her dogs were being taken, including her favorite,
Gidget.
Despite her protests, she was given an immediate court
date and was not allowed to go to the van that held
Gidget and her other dogs.
"She was my very first dog," Chennault said while crying.
Challenging the Raid
After raiding her kennel, Garcia took the dogs to the
SPCA where the workers cited problems like fleas and
mange.
Not that the technicians are experts. In fact, our vet
was the only veterinarian in sight. "These pets were not
abused. They were not in poor health. None of them were
in life-threatening conditions," said TeSlaa.
When I mentioned there was no vet there during the raid,
Garcia replied: "We had vets there."
But he didn't. The Texas SPCA later e-mailed us admitting
that it didn't, but said in this case that vets weren't
needed.
Chennault hired a lawyer and tried to get her animals
back, but the court gave her only two hours to prepare
her case. She was advised to settle and give her dogs to
the SPCA. She did. Most of the dogs were adopted, a few
were put to sleep. We don't know what happened to Gidget.
When I told Garcia that our vet didn't think the animals
should have been taken, he said, "The judge did."
But the judge permitted the raid because of the data
Garcia brought to them. I suggested that he "spins" the
evidence. "No, I don't spin them," said Garcia. "The
judge looks at the facts. Looks at the probable cause,
and the judge makes the decision."
I asked him about the claim that he steals people's
animals.
"No, I'm not stealing no one's animals," said Garcia.
He said he dismisses most complaints without any
confiscation. Garcia said, "It's about the welfare of an
animal."
Tell that to the 50 people we talked to who lost animals
to Garcia and other SPCAs.
Joe Stuebing is fortunate that he doesn't keep his horses
in Texas, where he would be under the thumb of the Texas
no-appeal rule Garcia lobbied for. After a court ruled
the SPCA could take his animals, he appealed, and won,
because his farm was raided without a warrant. The SPCA
still says he was abusing his horses, but today he has
his horses back.
In Texas, Moore could not appeal, and she said she'll
never get over what Garcia and the SPCA did to her.
"I was a dog breeder. I was a dog shower," said Moore.
"My dogs were my life."
Remember, when considering donations: each SPCA is
separately run. Also, the ASPCA is a different
organization.
Copyright © 2005 ABC News Internet Ventures
To share information, subscribe or unsubscribe,
please send an e-mail message to rpoa@texas.net.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
900 NE Loop 410 #205-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 822-6763
Fax: (210) 822-9038
E-mail: rpoa@texas.net
Website: http://www.responsiblepetowners.org (http://www.responsiblepetowners.org/)
$15 Annual dues (January - December)
Publishing a quarterly newsletter and
"announcement only" e-mail list to keep our membership
informed!Subject: Will bird breeders be targeted next?
ABC 20/20's Expose of "SPCA of Texas"
From: Responsible Pet Owners Alliance,
the reasonable voice regarding animal issues.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is an animal welfare
organization,
not "animal rights" and, yes, there is a difference.
Permission granted to crosspost.
This is a partial transcript from ABC's 20/20 that aired
Friday, June 3 ....
not the entire segment however.
---------------------------------------------------------
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=817494&page=1
Animal Rescuers or Thieves?
Some Owners Accuse Their SPCA Chapter of Taking Their
Pets And Selling Them
Commentary By John Stossel
SPCAs have an image of being animal rescuers. And there's
no question that the many Societies for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals around the country do a lot of good
work, rushing in to save animals from abusive people.
But some people who've had animals taken away by animal
rescuers say some SPCAs have acted like petty tyrants on
power trips. They say they use their police powers to
take away people's animals, even when the animals don't
need rescuing.
I found that hard to believe, but lots of people have
been saying that their local SPCA has wrecked their
lives.
We spent a year investigating the SPCA, looking at 50
cases from New York to California. Many people think that
SPCAs have a national headquarters, but SPCAs are really
separate, independent operations located in towns across
the country. Some animal owners claimed that when they
became overextended in caring for their animals, an SPCA
accused them of neglect, confiscated their animals and
sold them.
The SPCAs then keep the money.
'Equine Shopping Mall'
One case we followed involved a New Jersey SPCA office
accusing horse owner Joe Stuebing of starving his
animals.
He said the horses had lost weight simply because they
were sick and he was overwhelmed. But a local SPCA filed
charge after charge against him for what it said was
inhumane treatment. Then they took custody of his horses,
some of which were champion bloodlines valued together at
almost $1 million.
Stuebing says that the day after the SPCA took custody of
his horses at Stuebing's own barn, they invited people to
his farm to take his horses out from under him. "This was
like an equine shopping mall. Like it was ripe for the
pickings," Stuebing told "20/20."
"They are a self-righteous group of people that are in it
for money," said Stuebing. "They don't care about the
horses. They don't care about anything else, except
money."
That's a charge we heard repeatedly from people who lost
animals.
Sometimes the owners hire lawyers and file appeals, but
they rarely win. Judges usually side with the SPCAs.
After all, the animal rescuers are the experts, aren't
they?
SPCA Leader Crafts Media Image
Dave Garcia has confiscated thousands of animals in
several states. He now heads the Dallas SPCA, one of the
biggest such organizations in America.
You get a sense of how important he considers his work
when you listen to his opinion about the kind of people
who abuse animals.
"If they beat a dog to death, then it's just a step up to
beat a co-worker, or beat a classmate or and then a step
up to . kill someone and then a step up to do a mass
murder," Garcia told "20/20."
On local television, Garcia is often portrayed as a
savior rescuing animals. And he has saved a lot of
animals from abusive people.
"I should not have to warn someone to take care of their
animals," said Garcia. "If they're here to make money
with them, then take care of them."
Garcia led an effort to get Texas politicians to pass a
law saying once a Justice of the Peace approves one of
the SPCA's confiscations, an owner can't do anything
about it.
Under Garcia's leadership, the Dallas SPCA has seen
financial penalties against animal owners quadruple.
The SPCA invites television crews along on their raids
confiscating animals. Such broadcasts spur the public to
make big donations -- a total of $6 million last year to
the Dallas SPCA -- which helps pay Garcia's $80,000
annual salary.
One of those raids occurred at Renee Moore's dog kennel,
with TV reporters stating 120 dogs lived in deplorable
conditions.
But Moore's dogs are show dogs. Some of them were thin,
she said, because they were nursing large litters of
puppies. Vets and breeders told us it can be normal for a
dog's ribs to show when a dog is nursing lots of puppies.
But the SPCA took custody of all of Renee's dogs,
including award-winners -- worth up to $600 each. After
the radio, her vet wrote that while "housing and
sanitation needed improvement" and suggested a cutback in
the number of animals, he also said "Moore does care
about and care for her animals, no starvation was
evident." A judge upheld the confiscation.
Unable to afford a lawyer, Renee wrote her own lawsuit
charging the SPCA with stealing, but the suit was
dismissed. Renee's livelihood was destroyed. She and her
husband were forced to sell their home and move into a
trailer.
"I would like to see them punished for what they've
done," said Moore. "And they humiliated me on TV and I'd
like them to apologize to me on TV."
'20/20' Follows Garcia On a Raid
All this made us want to see firsthand how Garcia works.
So we asked and received permission to go along on an
SPCA raid.
Garcia didn't know that our cameraman was a veterinarian,
Dr. Gaylon TeSlaa.
Early one morning last September, "20/20" accompanied
Garcia as he went with a police officer to a Justice of
the Peace to get the warrant needed to raid a dog kennel.
He claimed the owner didn't provide adequate food, water
and shelter, and showed photos of what he said were
filthy kennels.
After a brief informal hearing, Garcia got permission to
raid, which meant he and an armed police officer could go
to the kennel without any warning.
Garcia told us to expect to see animals that were urine
soaked and fecal stained. "20/20" didn't see that.
TeSlaa said, while there was some neglect because the
owner had been away for four days, it was correctable.
Since her being away was an unusual event, he saw no
cruelty and certainly no reason to confiscate the dogs.
But Garcia saw cruelty and said the dogs needed to be
saved.
"Under Texas state law, these animals have been cruelly
treated. The definition of cruelly treated is having to
live in your own feces, unsanitary conditions, no food or
water," said Garcia.
But when people keep animals, there's routinely feces
found in the cages. "That's part of having an animal,"
said TeSlaa.
Moments after the SPCA finished collecting the dogs, the
owner arrived. Pam Chennault said she couldn't believe
her dogs were being taken, including her favorite,
Gidget.
Despite her protests, she was given an immediate court
date and was not allowed to go to the van that held
Gidget and her other dogs.
"She was my very first dog," Chennault said while crying.
Challenging the Raid
After raiding her kennel, Garcia took the dogs to the
SPCA where the workers cited problems like fleas and
mange.
Not that the technicians are experts. In fact, our vet
was the only veterinarian in sight. "These pets were not
abused. They were not in poor health. None of them were
in life-threatening conditions," said TeSlaa.
When I mentioned there was no vet there during the raid,
Garcia replied: "We had vets there."
But he didn't. The Texas SPCA later e-mailed us admitting
that it didn't, but said in this case that vets weren't
needed.
Chennault hired a lawyer and tried to get her animals
back, but the court gave her only two hours to prepare
her case. She was advised to settle and give her dogs to
the SPCA. She did. Most of the dogs were adopted, a few
were put to sleep. We don't know what happened to Gidget.
When I told Garcia that our vet didn't think the animals
should have been taken, he said, "The judge did."
But the judge permitted the raid because of the data
Garcia brought to them. I suggested that he "spins" the
evidence. "No, I don't spin them," said Garcia. "The
judge looks at the facts. Looks at the probable cause,
and the judge makes the decision."
I asked him about the claim that he steals people's
animals.
"No, I'm not stealing no one's animals," said Garcia.
He said he dismisses most complaints without any
confiscation. Garcia said, "It's about the welfare of an
animal."
Tell that to the 50 people we talked to who lost animals
to Garcia and other SPCAs.
Joe Stuebing is fortunate that he doesn't keep his horses
in Texas, where he would be under the thumb of the Texas
no-appeal rule Garcia lobbied for. After a court ruled
the SPCA could take his animals, he appealed, and won,
because his farm was raided without a warrant. The SPCA
still says he was abusing his horses, but today he has
his horses back.
In Texas, Moore could not appeal, and she said she'll
never get over what Garcia and the SPCA did to her.
"I was a dog breeder. I was a dog shower," said Moore.
"My dogs were my life."
Remember, when considering donations: each SPCA is
separately run. Also, the ASPCA is a different
organization.
Copyright © 2005 ABC News Internet Ventures
To share information, subscribe or unsubscribe,
please send an e-mail message to rpoa@texas.net.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
900 NE Loop 410 #205-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 822-6763
Fax: (210) 822-9038
E-mail: rpoa@texas.net
Website: http://www.responsiblepetowners.org (http://www.responsiblepetowners.org/)
$15 Annual dues (January - December)
Publishing a quarterly newsletter and
"announcement only" e-mail list to keep our membership
informed!
Part 2:
Subject: 20/20 v. SPCA of Texas, part 2
I continued to follow the SPCA story yesterday. I was
amazed by the volume of response on the ABC message
board; concerned about what needed to be done if 20/20's
allegations were true; equally concerned about the damage
that this could do to the SPCA; and amazed that no local
media were publishing anything on the story yet.
It seemed to me that a lot of the question hinged on the
opinion of the undercover veterinarian, Dr. Gaylon
TeSlaa. He's a practicing vet in Chatsworth, CA and was
easily findable via a Google Search.
I emailed him yesterday afternoon to ask him to respond
to the pictures posted on the SPCA site yesterday and
asked how he came to be on the show. He responded last
night (unedited; ellipses are his):
Mike:
I would be happy to respond. First, my name was given to
ABC (apparently) because I have been a real sucker for
helping out a host of rescue organizations in the Los
Angeles area since early in the 90's. It would be no
exaggeration to state I have allowed myself to donate my
services (and goods) to the tune of hundreds of thousands
of dollars over the years. I have been sympathetic to
the cause of animal welfare, and the health and well
being of animals in need. What happens to people who show
themselves to be charitable toward worthy causes?
Everyone comes knocking on their door, that's what! If
someone objectively looked at my history, I doubt that
they could really question either my motives or
credibility.
But then, objectivity is often lost where it comes to
"hot button" issues! What has been happening over the
past decade or so in California is that increasingly
there has been war waged between municipal departments of
animal control (and affiliated humane societies and
SPCA's) and private rescue groups. Lines get blurred
quickly when private rescuers start to resemble (or
become) "collectors", etc. To make a long story short,
more and more there have been municipal DAR's
(Departments of Animal Control) usurping police power and
weilding this power aggressively. I have seen some
pretty disturbing stuff.
I have also seen some pretty disturbing treatment and
care of animals, and I cannot stress enough that DAR's,
Humane societies, and SPCA's serve a vital and necessary
function. My view is that however many well intentioned
and well meaning people are involved in this aspect of
our society, the ladder to successful advancement is
still connected with production numbers and impressive
statistics...therefore driving some of the people with
dreams of advancement and acclaim to step on as many
bodies as it takes to achieve their objectives.
I looked at the photos posted on the SPCA website you
mentioned. My part in this venture did not take me to
the locations shown there...I only went on the one raid
and visited one other home (which was that woman's -
Pamela's - mother). The photos from these other sites
are clearly NOT representative of what I saw on the raid
I went on. I believe my comments in the piece speak for
themselves. However, I can say that having been present
when Mr. Garcia was getting the judge's signature for the
raid, I can tell you that the general strategy is to
depict everything in the worst possible light. Get a
picture of an animal behind a chain link fence with a
pathetic expression and a few close-ups on some unscooped
poop (which I got plenty of AT the SPCA as well), and you
can pull at anyone's heart strings!
I was MOST shocked and appalled at their not being a
veterinarian involved at any point in the process. I
believe (because I could find no evidence to the
contrary) that this SPCA is actually having technicians
or unlicensed veterinarians performing spays and
neuters. I asked an awful lot of questions before coming
to that conclusion. On the other hand, the facility is
absolutely beauuuuuutiful! It was a close second (on
the shock and appalling scale) that there is such a lack
of due process...minimal to no warnings, pre-emptive
inspections, no coaching or advice on how to meet
standards...it was just a really sad and depressing
experience which I was only willing to be involved with
to debunk the notion that anyone involved in that
business/industry is immune from criticism, questioning
of motives, or errors in judgement.
I hope that helps.
Dr T
Subject: Will bird breeders be targeted next?
ABC 20/20's Expose of "SPCA of Texas"
From: Responsible Pet Owners Alliance,
the reasonable voice regarding animal issues.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is an animal welfare
organization,
not "animal rights" and, yes, there is a difference.
Permission granted to crosspost.
This is a partial transcript from ABC's 20/20 that aired
Friday, June 3 ....
not the entire segment however.
---------------------------------------------------------
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=817494&page=1
Animal Rescuers or Thieves?
Some Owners Accuse Their SPCA Chapter of Taking Their
Pets And Selling Them
Commentary By John Stossel
SPCAs have an image of being animal rescuers. And there's
no question that the many Societies for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals around the country do a lot of good
work, rushing in to save animals from abusive people.
But some people who've had animals taken away by animal
rescuers say some SPCAs have acted like petty tyrants on
power trips. They say they use their police powers to
take away people's animals, even when the animals don't
need rescuing.
I found that hard to believe, but lots of people have
been saying that their local SPCA has wrecked their
lives.
We spent a year investigating the SPCA, looking at 50
cases from New York to California. Many people think that
SPCAs have a national headquarters, but SPCAs are really
separate, independent operations located in towns across
the country. Some animal owners claimed that when they
became overextended in caring for their animals, an SPCA
accused them of neglect, confiscated their animals and
sold them.
The SPCAs then keep the money.
'Equine Shopping Mall'
One case we followed involved a New Jersey SPCA office
accusing horse owner Joe Stuebing of starving his
animals.
He said the horses had lost weight simply because they
were sick and he was overwhelmed. But a local SPCA filed
charge after charge against him for what it said was
inhumane treatment. Then they took custody of his horses,
some of which were champion bloodlines valued together at
almost $1 million.
Stuebing says that the day after the SPCA took custody of
his horses at Stuebing's own barn, they invited people to
his farm to take his horses out from under him. "This was
like an equine shopping mall. Like it was ripe for the
pickings," Stuebing told "20/20."
"They are a self-righteous group of people that are in it
for money," said Stuebing. "They don't care about the
horses. They don't care about anything else, except
money."
That's a charge we heard repeatedly from people who lost
animals.
Sometimes the owners hire lawyers and file appeals, but
they rarely win. Judges usually side with the SPCAs.
After all, the animal rescuers are the experts, aren't
they?
SPCA Leader Crafts Media Image
Dave Garcia has confiscated thousands of animals in
several states. He now heads the Dallas SPCA, one of the
biggest such organizations in America.
You get a sense of how important he considers his work
when you listen to his opinion about the kind of people
who abuse animals.
"If they beat a dog to death, then it's just a step up to
beat a co-worker, or beat a classmate or and then a step
up to . kill someone and then a step up to do a mass
murder," Garcia told "20/20."
On local television, Garcia is often portrayed as a
savior rescuing animals. And he has saved a lot of
animals from abusive people.
"I should not have to warn someone to take care of their
animals," said Garcia. "If they're here to make money
with them, then take care of them."
Garcia led an effort to get Texas politicians to pass a
law saying once a Justice of the Peace approves one of
the SPCA's confiscations, an owner can't do anything
about it.
Under Garcia's leadership, the Dallas SPCA has seen
financial penalties against animal owners quadruple.
The SPCA invites television crews along on their raids
confiscating animals. Such broadcasts spur the public to
make big donations -- a total of $6 million last year to
the Dallas SPCA -- which helps pay Garcia's $80,000
annual salary.
One of those raids occurred at Renee Moore's dog kennel,
with TV reporters stating 120 dogs lived in deplorable
conditions.
But Moore's dogs are show dogs. Some of them were thin,
she said, because they were nursing large litters of
puppies. Vets and breeders told us it can be normal for a
dog's ribs to show when a dog is nursing lots of puppies.
But the SPCA took custody of all of Renee's dogs,
including award-winners -- worth up to $600 each. After
the radio, her vet wrote that while "housing and
sanitation needed improvement" and suggested a cutback in
the number of animals, he also said "Moore does care
about and care for her animals, no starvation was
evident." A judge upheld the confiscation.
Unable to afford a lawyer, Renee wrote her own lawsuit
charging the SPCA with stealing, but the suit was
dismissed. Renee's livelihood was destroyed. She and her
husband were forced to sell their home and move into a
trailer.
"I would like to see them punished for what they've
done," said Moore. "And they humiliated me on TV and I'd
like them to apologize to me on TV."
'20/20' Follows Garcia On a Raid
All this made us want to see firsthand how Garcia works.
So we asked and received permission to go along on an
SPCA raid.
Garcia didn't know that our cameraman was a veterinarian,
Dr. Gaylon TeSlaa.
Early one morning last September, "20/20" accompanied
Garcia as he went with a police officer to a Justice of
the Peace to get the warrant needed to raid a dog kennel.
He claimed the owner didn't provide adequate food, water
and shelter, and showed photos of what he said were
filthy kennels.
After a brief informal hearing, Garcia got permission to
raid, which meant he and an armed police officer could go
to the kennel without any warning.
Garcia told us to expect to see animals that were urine
soaked and fecal stained. "20/20" didn't see that.
TeSlaa said, while there was some neglect because the
owner had been away for four days, it was correctable.
Since her being away was an unusual event, he saw no
cruelty and certainly no reason to confiscate the dogs.
But Garcia saw cruelty and said the dogs needed to be
saved.
"Under Texas state law, these animals have been cruelly
treated. The definition of cruelly treated is having to
live in your own feces, unsanitary conditions, no food or
water," said Garcia.
But when people keep animals, there's routinely feces
found in the cages. "That's part of having an animal,"
said TeSlaa.
Moments after the SPCA finished collecting the dogs, the
owner arrived. Pam Chennault said she couldn't believe
her dogs were being taken, including her favorite,
Gidget.
Despite her protests, she was given an immediate court
date and was not allowed to go to the van that held
Gidget and her other dogs.
"She was my very first dog," Chennault said while crying.
Challenging the Raid
After raiding her kennel, Garcia took the dogs to the
SPCA where the workers cited problems like fleas and
mange.
Not that the technicians are experts. In fact, our vet
was the only veterinarian in sight. "These pets were not
abused. They were not in poor health. None of them were
in life-threatening conditions," said TeSlaa.
When I mentioned there was no vet there during the raid,
Garcia replied: "We had vets there."
But he didn't. The Texas SPCA later e-mailed us admitting
that it didn't, but said in this case that vets weren't
needed.
Chennault hired a lawyer and tried to get her animals
back, but the court gave her only two hours to prepare
her case. She was advised to settle and give her dogs to
the SPCA. She did. Most of the dogs were adopted, a few
were put to sleep. We don't know what happened to Gidget.
When I told Garcia that our vet didn't think the animals
should have been taken, he said, "The judge did."
But the judge permitted the raid because of the data
Garcia brought to them. I suggested that he "spins" the
evidence. "No, I don't spin them," said Garcia. "The
judge looks at the facts. Looks at the probable cause,
and the judge makes the decision."
I asked him about the claim that he steals people's
animals.
"No, I'm not stealing no one's animals," said Garcia.
He said he dismisses most complaints without any
confiscation. Garcia said, "It's about the welfare of an
animal."
Tell that to the 50 people we talked to who lost animals
to Garcia and other SPCAs.
Joe Stuebing is fortunate that he doesn't keep his horses
in Texas, where he would be under the thumb of the Texas
no-appeal rule Garcia lobbied for. After a court ruled
the SPCA could take his animals, he appealed, and won,
because his farm was raided without a warrant. The SPCA
still says he was abusing his horses, but today he has
his horses back.
In Texas, Moore could not appeal, and she said she'll
never get over what Garcia and the SPCA did to her.
"I was a dog breeder. I was a dog shower," said Moore.
"My dogs were my life."
Remember, when considering donations: each SPCA is
separately run. Also, the ASPCA is a different
organization.
Copyright © 2005 ABC News Internet Ventures
To share information, subscribe or unsubscribe,
please send an e-mail message to rpoa@texas.net.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
900 NE Loop 410 #205-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 822-6763
Fax: (210) 822-9038
E-mail: rpoa@texas.net
Website: http://www.responsiblepetowners.org (http://www.responsiblepetowners.org/)
$15 Annual dues (January - December)
Publishing a quarterly newsletter and
"announcement only" e-mail list to keep our membership
informed!Subject: Will bird breeders be targeted next?
ABC 20/20's Expose of "SPCA of Texas"
From: Responsible Pet Owners Alliance,
the reasonable voice regarding animal issues.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is an animal welfare
organization,
not "animal rights" and, yes, there is a difference.
Permission granted to crosspost.
This is a partial transcript from ABC's 20/20 that aired
Friday, June 3 ....
not the entire segment however.
---------------------------------------------------------
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=817494&page=1
Animal Rescuers or Thieves?
Some Owners Accuse Their SPCA Chapter of Taking Their
Pets And Selling Them
Commentary By John Stossel
SPCAs have an image of being animal rescuers. And there's
no question that the many Societies for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals around the country do a lot of good
work, rushing in to save animals from abusive people.
But some people who've had animals taken away by animal
rescuers say some SPCAs have acted like petty tyrants on
power trips. They say they use their police powers to
take away people's animals, even when the animals don't
need rescuing.
I found that hard to believe, but lots of people have
been saying that their local SPCA has wrecked their
lives.
We spent a year investigating the SPCA, looking at 50
cases from New York to California. Many people think that
SPCAs have a national headquarters, but SPCAs are really
separate, independent operations located in towns across
the country. Some animal owners claimed that when they
became overextended in caring for their animals, an SPCA
accused them of neglect, confiscated their animals and
sold them.
The SPCAs then keep the money.
'Equine Shopping Mall'
One case we followed involved a New Jersey SPCA office
accusing horse owner Joe Stuebing of starving his
animals.
He said the horses had lost weight simply because they
were sick and he was overwhelmed. But a local SPCA filed
charge after charge against him for what it said was
inhumane treatment. Then they took custody of his horses,
some of which were champion bloodlines valued together at
almost $1 million.
Stuebing says that the day after the SPCA took custody of
his horses at Stuebing's own barn, they invited people to
his farm to take his horses out from under him. "This was
like an equine shopping mall. Like it was ripe for the
pickings," Stuebing told "20/20."
"They are a self-righteous group of people that are in it
for money," said Stuebing. "They don't care about the
horses. They don't care about anything else, except
money."
That's a charge we heard repeatedly from people who lost
animals.
Sometimes the owners hire lawyers and file appeals, but
they rarely win. Judges usually side with the SPCAs.
After all, the animal rescuers are the experts, aren't
they?
SPCA Leader Crafts Media Image
Dave Garcia has confiscated thousands of animals in
several states. He now heads the Dallas SPCA, one of the
biggest such organizations in America.
You get a sense of how important he considers his work
when you listen to his opinion about the kind of people
who abuse animals.
"If they beat a dog to death, then it's just a step up to
beat a co-worker, or beat a classmate or and then a step
up to . kill someone and then a step up to do a mass
murder," Garcia told "20/20."
On local television, Garcia is often portrayed as a
savior rescuing animals. And he has saved a lot of
animals from abusive people.
"I should not have to warn someone to take care of their
animals," said Garcia. "If they're here to make money
with them, then take care of them."
Garcia led an effort to get Texas politicians to pass a
law saying once a Justice of the Peace approves one of
the SPCA's confiscations, an owner can't do anything
about it.
Under Garcia's leadership, the Dallas SPCA has seen
financial penalties against animal owners quadruple.
The SPCA invites television crews along on their raids
confiscating animals. Such broadcasts spur the public to
make big donations -- a total of $6 million last year to
the Dallas SPCA -- which helps pay Garcia's $80,000
annual salary.
One of those raids occurred at Renee Moore's dog kennel,
with TV reporters stating 120 dogs lived in deplorable
conditions.
But Moore's dogs are show dogs. Some of them were thin,
she said, because they were nursing large litters of
puppies. Vets and breeders told us it can be normal for a
dog's ribs to show when a dog is nursing lots of puppies.
But the SPCA took custody of all of Renee's dogs,
including award-winners -- worth up to $600 each. After
the radio, her vet wrote that while "housing and
sanitation needed improvement" and suggested a cutback in
the number of animals, he also said "Moore does care
about and care for her animals, no starvation was
evident." A judge upheld the confiscation.
Unable to afford a lawyer, Renee wrote her own lawsuit
charging the SPCA with stealing, but the suit was
dismissed. Renee's livelihood was destroyed. She and her
husband were forced to sell their home and move into a
trailer.
"I would like to see them punished for what they've
done," said Moore. "And they humiliated me on TV and I'd
like them to apologize to me on TV."
'20/20' Follows Garcia On a Raid
All this made us want to see firsthand how Garcia works.
So we asked and received permission to go along on an
SPCA raid.
Garcia didn't know that our cameraman was a veterinarian,
Dr. Gaylon TeSlaa.
Early one morning last September, "20/20" accompanied
Garcia as he went with a police officer to a Justice of
the Peace to get the warrant needed to raid a dog kennel.
He claimed the owner didn't provide adequate food, water
and shelter, and showed photos of what he said were
filthy kennels.
After a brief informal hearing, Garcia got permission to
raid, which meant he and an armed police officer could go
to the kennel without any warning.
Garcia told us to expect to see animals that were urine
soaked and fecal stained. "20/20" didn't see that.
TeSlaa said, while there was some neglect because the
owner had been away for four days, it was correctable.
Since her being away was an unusual event, he saw no
cruelty and certainly no reason to confiscate the dogs.
But Garcia saw cruelty and said the dogs needed to be
saved.
"Under Texas state law, these animals have been cruelly
treated. The definition of cruelly treated is having to
live in your own feces, unsanitary conditions, no food or
water," said Garcia.
But when people keep animals, there's routinely feces
found in the cages. "That's part of having an animal,"
said TeSlaa.
Moments after the SPCA finished collecting the dogs, the
owner arrived. Pam Chennault said she couldn't believe
her dogs were being taken, including her favorite,
Gidget.
Despite her protests, she was given an immediate court
date and was not allowed to go to the van that held
Gidget and her other dogs.
"She was my very first dog," Chennault said while crying.
Challenging the Raid
After raiding her kennel, Garcia took the dogs to the
SPCA where the workers cited problems like fleas and
mange.
Not that the technicians are experts. In fact, our vet
was the only veterinarian in sight. "These pets were not
abused. They were not in poor health. None of them were
in life-threatening conditions," said TeSlaa.
When I mentioned there was no vet there during the raid,
Garcia replied: "We had vets there."
But he didn't. The Texas SPCA later e-mailed us admitting
that it didn't, but said in this case that vets weren't
needed.
Chennault hired a lawyer and tried to get her animals
back, but the court gave her only two hours to prepare
her case. She was advised to settle and give her dogs to
the SPCA. She did. Most of the dogs were adopted, a few
were put to sleep. We don't know what happened to Gidget.
When I told Garcia that our vet didn't think the animals
should have been taken, he said, "The judge did."
But the judge permitted the raid because of the data
Garcia brought to them. I suggested that he "spins" the
evidence. "No, I don't spin them," said Garcia. "The
judge looks at the facts. Looks at the probable cause,
and the judge makes the decision."
I asked him about the claim that he steals people's
animals.
"No, I'm not stealing no one's animals," said Garcia.
He said he dismisses most complaints without any
confiscation. Garcia said, "It's about the welfare of an
animal."
Tell that to the 50 people we talked to who lost animals
to Garcia and other SPCAs.
Joe Stuebing is fortunate that he doesn't keep his horses
in Texas, where he would be under the thumb of the Texas
no-appeal rule Garcia lobbied for. After a court ruled
the SPCA could take his animals, he appealed, and won,
because his farm was raided without a warrant. The SPCA
still says he was abusing his horses, but today he has
his horses back.
In Texas, Moore could not appeal, and she said she'll
never get over what Garcia and the SPCA did to her.
"I was a dog breeder. I was a dog shower," said Moore.
"My dogs were my life."
Remember, when considering donations: each SPCA is
separately run. Also, the ASPCA is a different
organization.
Copyright © 2005 ABC News Internet Ventures
To share information, subscribe or unsubscribe,
please send an e-mail message to rpoa@texas.net.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
900 NE Loop 410 #205-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 822-6763
Fax: (210) 822-9038
E-mail: rpoa@texas.net
Website: http://www.responsiblepetowners.org (http://www.responsiblepetowners.org/)
$15 Annual dues (January - December)
Publishing a quarterly newsletter and
"announcement only" e-mail list to keep our membership
informed!
Part 2:
Subject: 20/20 v. SPCA of Texas, part 2
I continued to follow the SPCA story yesterday. I was
amazed by the volume of response on the ABC message
board; concerned about what needed to be done if 20/20's
allegations were true; equally concerned about the damage
that this could do to the SPCA; and amazed that no local
media were publishing anything on the story yet.
It seemed to me that a lot of the question hinged on the
opinion of the undercover veterinarian, Dr. Gaylon
TeSlaa. He's a practicing vet in Chatsworth, CA and was
easily findable via a Google Search.
I emailed him yesterday afternoon to ask him to respond
to the pictures posted on the SPCA site yesterday and
asked how he came to be on the show. He responded last
night (unedited; ellipses are his):
Mike:
I would be happy to respond. First, my name was given to
ABC (apparently) because I have been a real sucker for
helping out a host of rescue organizations in the Los
Angeles area since early in the 90's. It would be no
exaggeration to state I have allowed myself to donate my
services (and goods) to the tune of hundreds of thousands
of dollars over the years. I have been sympathetic to
the cause of animal welfare, and the health and well
being of animals in need. What happens to people who show
themselves to be charitable toward worthy causes?
Everyone comes knocking on their door, that's what! If
someone objectively looked at my history, I doubt that
they could really question either my motives or
credibility.
But then, objectivity is often lost where it comes to
"hot button" issues! What has been happening over the
past decade or so in California is that increasingly
there has been war waged between municipal departments of
animal control (and affiliated humane societies and
SPCA's) and private rescue groups. Lines get blurred
quickly when private rescuers start to resemble (or
become) "collectors", etc. To make a long story short,
more and more there have been municipal DAR's
(Departments of Animal Control) usurping police power and
weilding this power aggressively. I have seen some
pretty disturbing stuff.
I have also seen some pretty disturbing treatment and
care of animals, and I cannot stress enough that DAR's,
Humane societies, and SPCA's serve a vital and necessary
function. My view is that however many well intentioned
and well meaning people are involved in this aspect of
our society, the ladder to successful advancement is
still connected with production numbers and impressive
statistics...therefore driving some of the people with
dreams of advancement and acclaim to step on as many
bodies as it takes to achieve their objectives.
I looked at the photos posted on the SPCA website you
mentioned. My part in this venture did not take me to
the locations shown there...I only went on the one raid
and visited one other home (which was that woman's -
Pamela's - mother). The photos from these other sites
are clearly NOT representative of what I saw on the raid
I went on. I believe my comments in the piece speak for
themselves. However, I can say that having been present
when Mr. Garcia was getting the judge's signature for the
raid, I can tell you that the general strategy is to
depict everything in the worst possible light. Get a
picture of an animal behind a chain link fence with a
pathetic expression and a few close-ups on some unscooped
poop (which I got plenty of AT the SPCA as well), and you
can pull at anyone's heart strings!
I was MOST shocked and appalled at their not being a
veterinarian involved at any point in the process. I
believe (because I could find no evidence to the
contrary) that this SPCA is actually having technicians
or unlicensed veterinarians performing spays and
neuters. I asked an awful lot of questions before coming
to that conclusion. On the other hand, the facility is
absolutely beauuuuuutiful! It was a close second (on
the shock and appalling scale) that there is such a lack
of due process...minimal to no warnings, pre-emptive
inspections, no coaching or advice on how to meet
standards...it was just a really sad and depressing
experience which I was only willing to be involved with
to debunk the notion that anyone involved in that
business/industry is immune from criticism, questioning
of motives, or errors in judgement.
I hope that helps.
Dr T