Hundreds of sick and battered dogs were rescued from the property of an Iowa dog breeder who in September alleged multiple animal welfare violations by the US Department of Justice.
Daniel Gingerich agreed to abandon any dogs he kept on multiple properties and “permanently refrain from activities” that would require permission under the Animal Welfare Act, including dog breeding, according to a level of consent entered Tuesday.
Michael G. Byrne, Gingerich’s attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The DOJ alleged in a motion for an injunction dated Sept. 28 that Gingerich “retried or attempted to circumvent” the inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Phytosanitary Inspection Service (APHIS) until March 2021, when inspectors first gained access to some of Gingerich’s properties.
Gingerich, who was approved by the USDA to breed dogs in October 2019, received over 100 violations of the AWA after inspectors first got access to his property six months ago.
“In a recent inspection, APHIS inspectors observed a severely emaciated golden retriever, several dogs with untreated and painful eye conditions, and an unresponsive puppy who died moments later,” the DOJ said in a statement.
One of more than 500 dogs and puppies rescued by a licensed breeder in Seymour, Iowa.Iowa Animal Rescue League
The DOJ also accused Gingerich of failing to provide veterinary care and access to drinking water; fail to identify his animals and keep their records; and the failure to maintain a liveable climate, suitable housing and clean, structurally sound housing.
“The court will not investigate the hideous quality of the food inspectors described in their quotes, but among some of the violations are foods that are ‘moldy’, ‘spoilage’ or ‘too much wood chips’,” the DOJ wrote in the Document of an injunction.
Puppies were also not vaccinated against parvovirus and distemper, which “led to multiple disease outbreaks,” the DOJ said.
An APHIS veterinarian said that she “has never met a licensee with such high levels of chronic and repeated non-compliance in all categories of animal welfare law requirements” and that of all the facilities she has toured, gingerichs “are everything “. -to the least compliant bodies, ”the court document says.
One of more than 500 dogs and puppies rescued by a licensed breeder in Seymour, Iowa.Iowa Animal Rescue League
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Animal Rescue League of Iowa have been working with partners since Oct. 14 to remove the canines from Gingerich’s properties, the groups said in a statement.
Thirty of the dogs in acute medical emergency were picked up first, and over 200 more dogs and puppies were removed over the next two weeks, the ASPCA said.
Some dogs have stayed on the property and are looked after daily, announced the ASPCA.
“As a result of this Justice Department action, the light falls on bad players in the dog breeding industry,” Tom Colvin, CEO of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, said in the statement. “A new approach to stop them before animals suffer is long overdue.”