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Victory in Nation's Largest Puppy Mill Raid

August 8, 2008


	©The HSUS
	More than a thousand dogs were seized from Horton's Pups; many needed extensive veterinary attention.

More than a year and a half after the largest animal cruelty raid of a puppy mill in U.S. history, the dust has cleared, and the case is settled.

The conviction of Lanzie "Junior" Horton of Horton's Pups on 14 counts of animal cruelty and 25 counts of neglect will stand.

Crime and Punishment

Horton had been originally convicted in May 2008, seven months after The HSUS assisted in the raid of his Hillsville, Va., property, where nearly a thousand dogs were found living in squalid conditions. He later appealed this conviction, and in late July 2008, a judge upheld the conviction.

As part of his sentence, Horton was forced not only to give up nearly 700 of his animals, but he was ordered to pay $45,000 in restitution—nearly half of the amount the city of Hillsville spent to care for and rehabilitate the dogs.

Although a raid of the magnitude of the one on Horton's Pups is uncommon, puppy mill cruelty is not. Most purebred, pet-store pups begin their lives at puppy mills, where they are churned out like so many widgets in a factory. Kept as inventory in long rows of wire cages, these dogs never have the chance to chase a stick or snuggle in their owners' arms.

Physical and Psychological Scars


	©The HSUS
	Life inside wire cages takes a toll on puppy mill dogs.

For the dogs at Horton's Pups, the result of these living conditions was a laundry list of physical problems, including:

ear and eye infections (in some cases leading to deafness and blindness)

ringworm, skin infections and sores

tooth loss from periodontal disease; and

paw injuries from the wire flooring

Perhaps most devastating to these dogs and others like them in puppy mills is their complete lack of socialization—and resultant fear of people.

As social "pack" animals, dogs crave the company and affection of others, something which life in a puppy mill denies them. Rehabilitation of these animals is a long, arduous road.

Going out of Business

Horton's conviction is a significant victory in the battle to stop puppy abuse in Virginia, because—thanks to a newly-enacted state law barring anyone convicted of animal cruelty from running an animal-breeding operation—odds are good that Horton's puppy mill will never reopen in the Old Dominion State.

It has also shed a light on some of the worst behind-the-scenes suffering of our companion animals. As the nexus of The HSUS's five-month investigation into puppy mill abuses, the Horton case provided footage used in Oprah Winfrey's compelling exposé of puppy mills earlier this year.

The precedent set by the Horton case has repercussions on the entire dog-breeding industry. It has put puppy mill operators on notice that where our companion animals are concerned, the American public, and the legal system, will not tolerate putting profits above compassion.

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