The following report about Canis Maximus (aka zlatomira Kennels, aka RGBG Kennel) from a Fauquier County Humane Investigator is reproduced verbatim. If there are any doubts to its veracity, it is on file in the Fauquier County Board of Zoning Appeals office, Special Permit Application #SPPT13-SC-011, and it is a matter of public record. It can be viewed and copied during business hours at the Fauquier County Board of Zoning Appeals, 10 Hotel Street, Third Floor, Warrenton, VA, 20186.
---------------------------------------
On January 11, 2013 I received an anonymous call of concern regarding dogs located at 6205 Beverleys Mill Rd. in Broad Run VA. The caller stated that there was “a large number of dogs living in poor conditions”. On January 12th, I arrived at the property at approximately 1p.m. I knocked on the front door and was greeted by Mrs. Irina Barrett. There was a strong urine / feces odor coming from inside of the house and I could see several dogs at the bottom of the stairway behind a puppy gate. I explained to her that I had received an anonymous call of concern and I needed to see all of the dogs and asked if she would be willing to show me around. She agreed to this and we began by going into the basement of her home.
In the basement there were 5 French Bull Dogs, a Boxer and a Doberman loose as well a mother Doberman in a wire crate, 7 young (7 week old) Doberman puppies and 4 very young (approximately 5 & 6 week old) Boxer puppies: 2 in with the Doberman puppies and 2 in a separate whelping box. I asked why there were Boxer pups in with the Doberman puppies and she said that 2 litters had “starved to death” since the mother did not produce milk so these puppies were the survivors and the Doberman mother was raising them. I explained that a responsible breeder would not allow puppies to “starve to death” and would hand raise them. She said she just did not have the time to do that since she had so many dogs. As we were talking, I heard a dog whining behind a door and asked who was behind the door. Mrs. Barrett explained that was where she crated the house dogs so; she opened the door to a storage sized/ walk in closet with no light on/ no window, where a Doberman was in a crate. I explained that she cannot keep dogs inside of a dark closet, she let the Doberman out to run loose with the others.
We then went outside and walked around the house to a room to the right of the garage where there were 2 – 6’X6’ kennels. There was no ventilation in this room and again a strong stench of urine and feces filled the air. The walls were streaked in mud & feces. Both pens had urine soaked newspapers with a good amount of urine and feces. The dogs were unable to get out of their own waste.
In the first pen there were 4 teenage Doberman puppies all that had dirty bandages on their ears from a current ear cropping surgery. In the second pen there were 8 teenage Great Dane puppies. Several of the Dane puppies looked underweight, acted fearful/ unsocialized, and several had severe to moderate hair loss/lesions that appeared to be generalized demodectic mange. I explained that this was inadequate space for this number of dogs. I also noticed that the puppies were all coughing. She said that they were receiving an antibiotic for kennel cough. She prescribed this herself/ they had not been seen by a veterinarian for their cough although 3 of the Great Dane pups had just been seen by Compassion Vet in Gainesville for demodectic mange. I pointed out that one of the puppies had a huge swelling on a rear hock. She said it was an injury from a dog fight and the veterinarian had lanced an abscess and the antibiotics should help clear this up.
I explained that their respiratory issues were likely exasperated by the fact that there was no ventilation in this room and it is very unhealthy for them to have to breathe the ammonia / fecal waste smell. I also asked why none of the dogs had food or water bowls or access to water and she explained that they make too big of a mess when they are permitted to have water so she only allows them to drink 3-4 times a day when she offers water. No dogs have access to water unless she gives it to them.
We then went to the back of the property to her “kennel building”. When she opened the door, the stench of urine & feces was again very strong with no ventilation and very little natural light. There were a total of 17 dogs in this building: 1 Doberman in a small plastic airline carrier / crate, 1 Boxer in an airline carrier / plastic crate/, 1 very large male Great Dane in with 2 female Great Danes and a female Doberman in an 8’ x 16’ kennel. I asked why she had a male Great Dane in with a female Doberman/ was she cross breeding them? She said she just didn’t have room to separate/ house them. In the next 6’x8’ kennel, there were 3 Great Danes and next to that pen was another 6’x8’ with 2 German Shepherds. Across the center aisle, there were 2 more pens with: 3 Great Danes in the first 10’ X 12’ pen, and 3 Great Danes and a Doberman in last 10’X10’ pen. We discussed that there conditions were cramped/ not adequate space and again, the dogs had no bedding, there were a few 1/2/ bottoms of plastic crates in the pens that had been chewed on and no one had any water or food bowls or access to water. There was also no ventilation in this building and the stench of ammonia and feces was very strong: our eyes were burning. The center isle had a cement trough that was 5-7 inches deep in fecal matter. It appeared that she shoveled fecal matter from the pens in the center trough. I explained that a majority of the dogs housed in this building did not have adequate space, the pens were too small/ there was not adequate space, and that she must provide ventilation, water and light for these animals. I also expressed concern over the 2 dogs being housed in small airline carriers. She said she lets them out 3-4 times a day. There was also no heat in the building.
I did not serve her a compliance notice although I gave her many recommendations and pointed out the many areas that needed improvements: veterinary care for skin conditions, pressure sores on feet from dirty housing on hard surfaces with no bedding, rabies vaccinations (many are not current), improve cleanliness of kennels, provide ventilation in kennel areas, provide adequate space, dogs should not be housed in plastic crates and if they needed to be, then need more exercise as well as providing light for dogs housed inside during daylight hours. Mrs. Barrett was receptive and willing to make all of the needed changes. I explained that I would continue to work with her to help her make improvements in her kennels and daily care and strongly recommended that she consider reducing her numbers to provide a higher quality of care for her dogs since she is a single person with 3 small children who is caring for approximately 50 dogs (17 adults in lower kennel, 4 Doberman pups, 8 Great Dane pups, 7 adults + 12 puppies inside the house).
Mrs. Barrett told me that she could not hire someone to help her with the kennels because “the conditions were not good enough for someone to work in”. I expressed that if she felt the conditions were not good enough for someone to work in then how could they be good enough for the dogs to live in? She agreed with me.
Mrs. Barrett had made several comments about that she had given away over 20 dogs in the past year on Craig’s List to reduce her numbers and that she had several dogs there that she no longer wanted. I offered for her to relinquish dogs to the Middleburg Humane Foundation (MHF) and explained that they would be well cared for: spayed, neutered, receive all necessary medical care, behavioral care and then placed available for adoption. She relinquished a total of 8 dogs to MFH: 6 Great Danes, a German Shepherd and a Boxer.
After leaving the property, I spoke with Deputy Reese who had also been to this property and found out that Mrs. Barrett was not completely forthcoming with either of us in regards to what dogs she currently had. She had not shown me the “sunroom” where she keeps a large number of Dobermans in plastic airline carriers as well as a Great Dane puppy she had in her laundry room therefore my total numbers from my first visit were incorrect. She had also not told Deputy Reese about the many different breeds at the property (Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes, French Bulldogs, Boxers & German Shepherds.). I asked Deputy Reese to accompany me when I returned for a follow-up visit.
(Full report too long to post in one message...the completion will be in the first reply...)
---------------------------------------
On January 11, 2013 I received an anonymous call of concern regarding dogs located at 6205 Beverleys Mill Rd. in Broad Run VA. The caller stated that there was “a large number of dogs living in poor conditions”. On January 12th, I arrived at the property at approximately 1p.m. I knocked on the front door and was greeted by Mrs. Irina Barrett. There was a strong urine / feces odor coming from inside of the house and I could see several dogs at the bottom of the stairway behind a puppy gate. I explained to her that I had received an anonymous call of concern and I needed to see all of the dogs and asked if she would be willing to show me around. She agreed to this and we began by going into the basement of her home.
In the basement there were 5 French Bull Dogs, a Boxer and a Doberman loose as well a mother Doberman in a wire crate, 7 young (7 week old) Doberman puppies and 4 very young (approximately 5 & 6 week old) Boxer puppies: 2 in with the Doberman puppies and 2 in a separate whelping box. I asked why there were Boxer pups in with the Doberman puppies and she said that 2 litters had “starved to death” since the mother did not produce milk so these puppies were the survivors and the Doberman mother was raising them. I explained that a responsible breeder would not allow puppies to “starve to death” and would hand raise them. She said she just did not have the time to do that since she had so many dogs. As we were talking, I heard a dog whining behind a door and asked who was behind the door. Mrs. Barrett explained that was where she crated the house dogs so; she opened the door to a storage sized/ walk in closet with no light on/ no window, where a Doberman was in a crate. I explained that she cannot keep dogs inside of a dark closet, she let the Doberman out to run loose with the others.
We then went outside and walked around the house to a room to the right of the garage where there were 2 – 6’X6’ kennels. There was no ventilation in this room and again a strong stench of urine and feces filled the air. The walls were streaked in mud & feces. Both pens had urine soaked newspapers with a good amount of urine and feces. The dogs were unable to get out of their own waste.
In the first pen there were 4 teenage Doberman puppies all that had dirty bandages on their ears from a current ear cropping surgery. In the second pen there were 8 teenage Great Dane puppies. Several of the Dane puppies looked underweight, acted fearful/ unsocialized, and several had severe to moderate hair loss/lesions that appeared to be generalized demodectic mange. I explained that this was inadequate space for this number of dogs. I also noticed that the puppies were all coughing. She said that they were receiving an antibiotic for kennel cough. She prescribed this herself/ they had not been seen by a veterinarian for their cough although 3 of the Great Dane pups had just been seen by Compassion Vet in Gainesville for demodectic mange. I pointed out that one of the puppies had a huge swelling on a rear hock. She said it was an injury from a dog fight and the veterinarian had lanced an abscess and the antibiotics should help clear this up.
I explained that their respiratory issues were likely exasperated by the fact that there was no ventilation in this room and it is very unhealthy for them to have to breathe the ammonia / fecal waste smell. I also asked why none of the dogs had food or water bowls or access to water and she explained that they make too big of a mess when they are permitted to have water so she only allows them to drink 3-4 times a day when she offers water. No dogs have access to water unless she gives it to them.
We then went to the back of the property to her “kennel building”. When she opened the door, the stench of urine & feces was again very strong with no ventilation and very little natural light. There were a total of 17 dogs in this building: 1 Doberman in a small plastic airline carrier / crate, 1 Boxer in an airline carrier / plastic crate/, 1 very large male Great Dane in with 2 female Great Danes and a female Doberman in an 8’ x 16’ kennel. I asked why she had a male Great Dane in with a female Doberman/ was she cross breeding them? She said she just didn’t have room to separate/ house them. In the next 6’x8’ kennel, there were 3 Great Danes and next to that pen was another 6’x8’ with 2 German Shepherds. Across the center aisle, there were 2 more pens with: 3 Great Danes in the first 10’ X 12’ pen, and 3 Great Danes and a Doberman in last 10’X10’ pen. We discussed that there conditions were cramped/ not adequate space and again, the dogs had no bedding, there were a few 1/2/ bottoms of plastic crates in the pens that had been chewed on and no one had any water or food bowls or access to water. There was also no ventilation in this building and the stench of ammonia and feces was very strong: our eyes were burning. The center isle had a cement trough that was 5-7 inches deep in fecal matter. It appeared that she shoveled fecal matter from the pens in the center trough. I explained that a majority of the dogs housed in this building did not have adequate space, the pens were too small/ there was not adequate space, and that she must provide ventilation, water and light for these animals. I also expressed concern over the 2 dogs being housed in small airline carriers. She said she lets them out 3-4 times a day. There was also no heat in the building.
I did not serve her a compliance notice although I gave her many recommendations and pointed out the many areas that needed improvements: veterinary care for skin conditions, pressure sores on feet from dirty housing on hard surfaces with no bedding, rabies vaccinations (many are not current), improve cleanliness of kennels, provide ventilation in kennel areas, provide adequate space, dogs should not be housed in plastic crates and if they needed to be, then need more exercise as well as providing light for dogs housed inside during daylight hours. Mrs. Barrett was receptive and willing to make all of the needed changes. I explained that I would continue to work with her to help her make improvements in her kennels and daily care and strongly recommended that she consider reducing her numbers to provide a higher quality of care for her dogs since she is a single person with 3 small children who is caring for approximately 50 dogs (17 adults in lower kennel, 4 Doberman pups, 8 Great Dane pups, 7 adults + 12 puppies inside the house).
Mrs. Barrett told me that she could not hire someone to help her with the kennels because “the conditions were not good enough for someone to work in”. I expressed that if she felt the conditions were not good enough for someone to work in then how could they be good enough for the dogs to live in? She agreed with me.
Mrs. Barrett had made several comments about that she had given away over 20 dogs in the past year on Craig’s List to reduce her numbers and that she had several dogs there that she no longer wanted. I offered for her to relinquish dogs to the Middleburg Humane Foundation (MHF) and explained that they would be well cared for: spayed, neutered, receive all necessary medical care, behavioral care and then placed available for adoption. She relinquished a total of 8 dogs to MFH: 6 Great Danes, a German Shepherd and a Boxer.
After leaving the property, I spoke with Deputy Reese who had also been to this property and found out that Mrs. Barrett was not completely forthcoming with either of us in regards to what dogs she currently had. She had not shown me the “sunroom” where she keeps a large number of Dobermans in plastic airline carriers as well as a Great Dane puppy she had in her laundry room therefore my total numbers from my first visit were incorrect. She had also not told Deputy Reese about the many different breeds at the property (Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes, French Bulldogs, Boxers & German Shepherds.). I asked Deputy Reese to accompany me when I returned for a follow-up visit.
(Full report too long to post in one message...the completion will be in the first reply...)
