December 22, 2008

A female Shih Tzu, between 8- and 10-years-old, rests on a blanket at the Humane League of Lancaster after authorities closed a Ephrata, Pa., puppy mill on Saturday. (Pet Pulse Illustrati

EPHRATA, Pa. -- On the eve of the Hanukkah and Christmas holidays, 96 canine wishes were granted when authorities closed a Lancaster County puppy mill on Saturday.

Pennsylvania dog wardens came to an Ephrata kennel this weekend to enforce a Dec. 6 injunction, which ordered owner Ervin S. Zimmerman to close the facility within 14 days.

"We've had four or five injunctions this year, but this was the first time that we actually had to go in and remove the dogs because someone was not actually following the order," said state Agriculture Department spokesman Chris Ryder.

"In the past there were significant issues," said Ryder of the kennel's conditions historically.

A judge granted the injunction to the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement after an unannounced Nov. 25 inspection, which led to Zimmerman receiving citations for six violations of the dog law. Wardens also ordered veterinary checks for five dogs.

"And because of all the unsatisfactory inspections, his license was revoked," Ryder said of Zimmerman's kennel license status in 2007.

Out of the state's 4,413 commercial kennels registered in 2007, "21 licenses were revoked or refused, similar to Mr. Zimmerman's situation," said Ryder.

"Then it was denied in 2008, and he was appealing it, which is why he was able to operate the kennel until now. We weren't able to shut him down for good until we got that [injunction] from the judge."

On Saturday, staff of the Humane League of Lancaster worked with authorities to remove the dogs ranging from puppies to adults of various breeds, including Yorkshire terriers, poodles, Cocker Spaniels, Schnauzers, Jack Russell terriers, Malteses and Shih Tzus.

The Humane League was not able to be reached for comment, as of press time, yet it reportedly is caring for more than 60 of the puppy mill dogs, while a shelter in a neighboring county houses the remainder.

Of the 31 adult dogs that the Humane Society of Berks County shelter has taken in to help the Humane League, the dogs "require some basic medical attention, nothing too extensive," said Dyan Heckart, the field service coordinator for the Humane Society of Berks County.

"They [the dogs] are actually not in that typical condition where you find them with large, distended mammary glands, so they don't really appear too much worse for wear," Heckart said.

While the dogs are being sterilized and readied for adoption, the shelter is accepting pre-screening applications so the dogs can find new homes just after Christmas.

But the community is already pining away.

"When the story hit the local Fox 29 news in Philadelphia at 10, I was receiving phone calls on my emergency line at 10:20 from people interested in adopting the animals," Heckart said of the instant response the story generated Sunday evening.

"When there is a tragic history, people tend to come out of the woodwork because people want to help these dogs," Heckart said. "And that is a good motivator, but we have dogs everyday that need help, not just these guys."

Ryder said six misdemeanor charges were filed against Zimmerman by the Agriculture Department.

He will also face charges of operating a kennel without a license from July 25 through Dec. 19. Fines associated with the charges will be determined by Lancaster County Court at a future hearing, reported Lancaster Online.

For more information on the puppy mill dogs at the Humane Society of Berks County, call 610-921-2348, or visit BerksHumane.org. For more information on the puppy mill dogs at the Humane League of Lancaster, call 717-393-6551, or visit HumaneLeague.com.

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LancasterOnline.com contributed to this article.