Numbers of animal control officers at crisis level in Virginia

A man accused of running a puppy mill is found guilty on all charges today.
Junior Horton faced 14 counts of animal cruelty and 25 counts of neglect, among others.
The Humane Society removed more than 700 dogs from his Carroll County property back in November.
Horton will not have to serve any jail time, and the judge suspended most of the fines.
A 10 on you side investigation discovered that it can be difficult for law enforcement to discover cases of alleged animal abuse because the numbers of animal control officers are at a crisis level.
Terry Woods is Carroll County’s sole animal control officer.
He covers 5-hundred square miles—averaging 25 to 30-thousand travel miles a year.
Mollie asks, “Do you feel overwhelmed?
Woods replies, “Most everyday.“
While Woods is the county’s only animal control officer, he’s not alone in his predicament.
The numbers of animal control officers are at a crisis level.
10 on your side collected the numbers in our area….
Craig county joins Carroll county with just 1 animal control officer.
Franklin county is double that, with 2 officers.
The same goes for Floyd and Giles counties.
There aren’t always enough resources available for counties to add more animal control officers.
Assistant Commonwealth Attorney in Botetourt County, Gillian Deegan says: “i think a lot of times the animal control officers are running more calls than law enforcement officers with fewer men out there to handle those calls.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are nearly 1-thousand puppy mills in Virginia.
With so few animal control officers, and so many breeders, animal welfare can fall through the cracks.
Deegan says, “I think with a lot of the puppy mills most of them are unlicesned and unregulated.“
That has happened in woods’ jurisdiction..
A Hillsville man is accused of running what was the largest puppy mill rescue operation in the United States.
More than 1-thousand dogs were discovered at Horton’s pups in Hillsville.
So many, that the county administrator declared a local disaster.
Puppy mills like Horton’s are big business.
Some breeders don’t consider their animals man’s best friend.
Instead, the puppies are products, and are sometimes treated inhumanely.
Those abused, neglected, and unhealthy animals can end up as your pet.
Denis Spangler of Pet City says, “pet stores can buy pretty much from anybody off the street, it would be no licensed required, anybody who walked in they could buy from them.“
The humane society alleges Horton sold his dog’s to Pauley’s Pups, a pet store outside of Richmond.
Animal control officers, like Woods, must also inspect pet stores—perpetuating their overtaxed caseloads.
Woods says, “the Virginia department of Agriculture regulated those pet sores and inspected them but with budget cuts now it’s fallen back onto animal control unless I get a complaint i’n not there at those stores.“
Virginia code does not require licenses for so-called backyard breeders.
They sell animals over the internet or from their homes.
Woos says, “A lot of times they seem to be worse than your larger commercial breeders? why is that? there’s no one looking at them close.“
So whether pet owners buy the new member of your family from a puppy mill, a backyard breeder or a pet store, there’s a chance you could track their history back to an abusive situation.
Spangler says,“You don’t know the history of the dog, you don’t the conditions they’ve been kept in, the socialization of the dog, the vet care the dog has gotten, you know nothing about that.“
Sometimes the dogs become sick, suffer—and even die.
Their new owners lose them and thousands of dollars in vet bills.
If you are looking to adopt a pet, animal advocates say to do it from a responsible breeder.
To do that visit the store or breeder’s business to see the conditions yourself, ask to see proof a license, or the dogs papers, and adopt from a shelter or rescue group.
And, if you believe a breeder is not in compliance, report it to an animal control officer like Woods, then he can make it a priorty to investigate.
Here is a list of animal advocacy groups, shelters and rescues.
http://www.vapaws.org
http://www.stoppuppymills.org
http://www.virginiavotersforanimalwelfare.com
http://www.angelsofassisi.org