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These are some of the 550 animals rescued during a Texas puppy mill raid last week. ©The HSUS/Kathy Milani |
Editor's note: a court hearing began on Friday, Aug. 14, to determine the custody of the approximately 550 animals rescued during a Kaufman County puppy mill raid. The State of Texas brought the case against Peggy Boyd, the owner of Klassic Kennels. The following is an eyewitness trial report filed by HSUS field service staffer Jordan Crump.
At the Courthouse
Volunteers still dirty from the morning's work of caring for the rescued dogs came to attend the hearing, jostling for space with local TV and newspaper reporters. I imagine that this small, dusty courthouse had not seen so many visitors in years. We all waited nervously for the hearing to begin, knowing that the fate of the animals rested on our evidence and testimony.
The Trial
State Assistant District Attorney John Long opened the trial, calling the actions of the defendant "horrific on a grand scale." He said that the defendant’s "barbaric actions caused hundreds of animals to suffer." A murmur of agreement ran through the crowd of shelter volunteers lining the courtroom benches.
Long called Krista McAnally of the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake to the stand first. McAnally described her efforts to offer assistance to the defendant, knowing of the horrendous conditions at the puppy mill. When Mrs. Boyd refused her offer to take some of the animals, McAnally called The HSUS and began the preliminary steps of the current rescue.
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| Justin Scally, deputy manager of The HSUS' Wilde Puppy Mill Task Force, holds a dog rescued from Klassic Kennels. ©The HSUS/Kathy Milani |
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The Vet on the Scene
The second witness called to the stand was James O'Bryan, DVM, lead veterinarian for the rescue mission.
His voice weakened by 16-hour days at our temporary shelter, Dr. O'Bryan described the poor condition of the animals. Ninety-five percent of them suffered from some form of medical ailment, he said.
He described specific cases—dogs with life-threatening injuries, cats with severe respiratory infections and puppies filled with parasites. Presiding Judge Johnny Perry sat at attention and scribbled notes as O'Bryan ran through his long list of ailments.
The Defendant
During the trial, defendant Peggy Boyd shook her head and glared at the witnesses. She had chosen to defend herself and eventually stood to cross-examine the witnesses.
An older woman with unkempt white hair, Boyd wore a red T-shirt emblazoned with fluffy Shih Tzus and the name of the store where she sold her mill-produced puppies, Peggy's Perfect Pets. Her line of questioning was badgering and self-serving, and Judge Perry repeatedly asked Boyd to stick to the questions.
HSUS on the Stand
Scotlund Haisley, senior director of emergency services for The HSUS, had inspected the mill the day of the raid, and when he took the stand, he told the court that this was one of the worst cases he had ever seen in his career. Haisley said he believed Boyd had violated state cruelty statutes, and that the animals should under no circumstances be returned to her care.
The picture Haisley painted of the kennel was horrific: urine and feces-soaked cages; rodents and cockroaches scurrying across floors; and nearly unbearable levels of ammonia concentration. His voice broke as he described several of the dogs who were too sick to live and had to be humanely euthanized.
Video EvidenceWhile Haisley sat in the witness stand, the judge showed an 11-minute video taken at Klassic Kennels during the raid and offered photos of the scene. Several people looked away or broke down crying during this presentation. The video depicted squalid conditions and severely neglected dogs. Boyd showed no emotion watching the video and declined to ask Haisley further questions when the video ended.
Day TwoOn the second day of the hearing, Mrs. Boyd shuffled into the courtroom carrying mounds of yellowed papers and a large garbage bag. As the judge allowed her to begin her argument, shelter volunteers in the courtroom leaned forward in anticipation. The day's court proceedings would offer a rare glimpse into the mind of a puppy miller.
Under questioning, Boyd admitted that she could not afford to pay her veterinary bills. Her veterinarian was unwilling to testify on her behalf, and she could present no evidence that the animals had received even basic medical care.
Pulling two large pieces of filthy, stained vinyl out of the garbage bag, Boyd said that these pieces of material covered the floor in the crates, making it impossible for excrement to fall onto dogs in cages below. It had been evident from the video that this vinyl flooring was missing from most crates. The vinyl, which she said was cleaned every day, so reeked of feces and urine that Judge Perry asked the defendant to remove it from the courtroom.
Boyd's Employees
Boyd called several of her employees to the witness stand. The witnesses said that they found all of the animals to be in good health and had never seen an animal abused on the property. But none could recall a vet visiting the property in the past several months. Upon cross-examination, none of the witnesses were able to give specific information about the health care of the dogs or even give an approximate count of the number of dogs on the property.
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| A happy moment for a rescued dog at The HSUS' temporary shelter. ©The HSUS/Kathy Milani |
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'Business Assets'
Taking the stand, Boyd claimed "$150,000 worth of business assets"—the living creatures dependent on her for care.
Disgust showed on the faces of volunteers in the courtroom as Boyd described how she had been in the breeding business for 45 years and "loved and cared for every one of the dogs on her property." Still without emotion, she said she had never mistreated any of her animals, but failed to provide factual evidence of care that might sway the judge.
When pressed by the prosecutor, Boyd admitted that there may have been "seven or eight" dogs on the property in need of additional medical care, and that she had "maybe 15" too many dogs. The statement astonished the volunteers, veterinarians, and members of our team who had worked tirelessly over the past week caring for hundreds of Boyd’s severely neglected animals.
The Verdict
Judge Perry handed down his verdict with no recess for deliberation, saying that he found the case "disturbing on many levels." He ordered that all of the animals seized from Boyd's property be handed over to The HSUS. He said that if what Boyd showed for these animals was "love," then he hoped they would never have to suffer through that same kind of "love" again in their lifetime.
Upon hearing news of the verdict, the crowd of supporters in the waiting room erupted into cheers and whoops of excitement. Some broke into tears of joy. These volunteers had put their lives on hold for the past week, donating what little time and money they had, some driving for hours to come to the aid of the 550-plus animals in need.
It was a victory for all of us, but none more so than for the animals. Back at the shelter, we shared the good news with them, and rejoiced in the knowledge that they are now truly on the way to beginning new, happier lives.
