LCA Malibu Vigil for Slain Amish Puppy Mill Dogs

Friday night August 30th Last Chance for Animals vigil for the eighty puppy mill dogs shot by their owners after the dog warden told them to vaccinate for flies and fleas. Elmer Zimmerman shot 70 dogs at his E&A Kennel in Maxatawny Township after a July 24 inspection by state officials, the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement said. His brother, Ammon Zimmerman, shot 10 dogs at his neighboring business, A&J Kennel. Wardens had ordered 39 dogs checked for flea and fly bites. They also issued citations for extreme heat, insufficient bedding and floors that dogs' feet could fall through. "These were dogs with no names. These were dogs that none of us ever knew," said Jenny Stephens of North Penn Puppy Mill Watch. "These were dogs who never knew the kindness a human hand can offer and these were dogs who died a violent and terror-filled death with no one to comfort them." "The decision by commercial breeders to kill healthy dogs instead of paying to repair a kennel and seek veterinary care is alarming and will likely outrage many people," state Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff said in a statement released earlier this week. "Until our state's outdated dog law is changed, kennel owners may continue to kill their dogs for any reason they see fit, even if it is simply to save money." "It absolutely sucked the wind out of me when I heard," said Libby Williams of New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse. "Is there no end to the depravity of these people? I do think it was spite. But they did the state a favor. People are now learning the truth about the 'gentle' Plain people. And this has been in every newspaper across the country." "It's not uncommon for puppy millers to shoot or drown their dogs instead of spending money on medical care," Howard Nelson, CEO of PSPCA said. "There may have been some spite in this case, but I'm just calling it pure evil." "This shooting highlights the rampant problems with commercial breeding in Pennsylvania," Stephanie Shain of the Humane Society of the United States said. "This industry is in desperate need of reform and oversight." Author, psychologist and animal welfare advocate Jana Kohl has vowed to wage war on Pennsylvania's Amish tourism industry by exposing inhumane treatment of breeder dogs by the Amish and Mennonite communities. "Two thousand of the country's 10,000 commercial breeding kennels are owned by Amish and Mennonites," Kohl said earlier this month. "One of the ways to impact (this industry) is to shame and embarrass them by putting as many billboards and ads in as many places as possible. We can point the finger to Pennsylvania as aiding and abetting this horrific business that is nothing more than legalized torture." "A lot of people with a lot of money and resources are prepared to venture into a campaign like this," she said. "It's going to be a bigger and more embarrassing campaign than people expect, and it's going to shock."