Region: Latin America

Puppy mill operator convicted and sentenced for illegally breeding dogs for sale

Humane Society International / Latin America

Ivannia Brenes holds Lola and Lulú, 2 Yorkshire terriers whom she adopted after they were rescued from an illegal puppy mill in Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica, in 2017. Photo by Arnoldo Moirin.

SAN JOSÉ—The Sanctioning Administrative Proceeding Court of the National Animal Health Department (SENASA) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock announced a sentence in favor of animal welfare in Costa Rica, convicting a person who was breeding dogs in a puppy mill. Humane Society International/Latin America worked with SENASA to rescue the dogs in this case.

In November 2017, more than 35 dogs were rescued from a puppy mill named Flora and Fauna in Limón. The dogs included breeds such as French poodle, Maltese, Shih Tzu, Chihuahua, Yorkshire terrier and Pekinese. At the time, they were living in unsanitary conditions and many suffered from health issues such as severe skin problems, alopecia, eye diseases, malformations, periodontal disease and tooth loss.

Amanda Chaves, manager of HSI/Latin America’s companion animal program, said: “No animal should be forced to live in such deplorable conditions as we found these dogs in 2017. We are grateful to SENASA for allowing us to help with the animals’ rescue. We are relieved that the dogs were adopted and now live in homes full of love. We will continue supporting and collaborating with SENASA and other local organizations to improve welfare levels of animals in Costa Rica.”

The majority of the puppy mill’s females were forced to give birth continuously as a means of income for the mill’s operators. After the rescue, the animals were checked by a veterinarian, who found that several of them were pregnant, including some whose lives were at risk due to their advanced age.

Thanks to evidence collected by SENASA, the Sanctioning Administrative Procedure Tribunal was able to demonstrate that the accused illegally bred dogs for sale. The offender was found guilty of the facts and fined approximately ₡645,000 colones, equivalent approximately to the base annual salary of a professional with a university degree.

HSI/Latin America encourages people to adopt companion animals (dogs and cats), instead of buying them at pet stores or from illegal breeding sites. Puppy mills breed animals for trade, focusing solely on economic profit and not on the welfare of the animals. The dogs bred in these places usually live in small wire cages with little to no human interaction, veterinary care or exercise.

Watch a video about Lola and Lulu, two dogs rescued in this case and adopted into a loving home: https://www.facebook.com/HSILatinAmerica/videos/vb.1526638017432247/1645090288920352/?type=2&theater

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Media contact: Amanda Chaves, achaves@hsi.org, 506 70184621

Humane Society International

Humane Society International / Latin America

SAN JOSÉ—During February and March, Humane Society International/Latin America, together with the National Animal Health Service, the College of Veterinary Doctors and the School of Veterinary Medicine of the National University, participated in health fairs organized by the Asociación Costa Rica Indígena in the indigenous communities of Daytonia and Cachabri, in Talamanca.

This project provides free veterinary care to not only dogs and cats but also to farm animals such as pigs, cows, horses and chickens. Dogs and cats are spayed or neutered for free.

Amanda Chaves, manager of the Companion Animal Program for HSI/Latin America, sees the health fair as an excellent opportunity to collaborate closely with state institutions and other stakeholders in areas where there is very limited access to relevant services. “Since we started this project with the Asociación Costa Rica Indígena, we have participated in five health fairs and provided medical care for more than 1278 animals that had never received any veterinary attention. We hope to continue this work for the benefit of animal welfare in Costa Rica,” explains Chaves.

The first of these fairs in 2019 took place in February in Daytonia. Over the course of a single weekend, 227 animals received free medical care, including general veterinary checks, deworming and vaccinations against rabies. In addition, veterinarians performed spay/neuter procedures on 35 dogs and cats.

In March, the team visited the indigenous area of Cachabri, where inadequate access to health services, public services and transportation contribute to poor health for many animals and made the work arduous. Animals brought for treatment presented severe skin problems, high levels of malnutrition and infestation by fleas, ticks and parasitic flies. A total of 345 animals received veterinary care in just two days, including general health exams, deworming and rabies vaccinations, while 83 dogs and cats were spayed or neutered.

Media contact: Fabiola Ruiz, fabiola.ruiz@efectiva.cr, ph. +506 88241785

The recurring event offered health exams, spaying/neutering, rabies vaccinations to pets in a remote area of Limón, Costa Rica

Humane Society International

LIMÓN, Costa Rica—During the month of September, Humane Society International/Latin America participated in an animal health fair that took place in the indigenous community of Suretka, Talamanca, in the province of Limón. The purpose of the fair was to provide local animals with general health check-ups and sterilizations.

Teams treated 200 dogs and cats, who were given health exams, dewormed and vaccinated against rabies. Nearly 100 animals were also spayed or neutered. In one case, a tumour was removed from a young dog who was in very poor health. He was dewormed and his owner was given medication and instructions to improve his health.

For Amanda Chaves, manager of the Companion Animals Program of HSI/LA, this type of event provides a helping hand to people who live in remote places and who do not have veterinary doctors or access to the appropriate medicine for their pets. “The idea is to help animals who don´t have the opportunity to see a veterinarian on a regular basis. Humane Society International/Latin America makes this life-saving care possible by donating the materials and medicines so that the specialists can do their work,” explained Chaves.

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The health fair was organized by the Costa Rican Indigenous Association and included veterinary staff from the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), the College of Veterinary Physicians of Costa Rica, and the Hospital of Minor and Wild Species of the National University. Additional support came from the Municipality of Heredia and HSI/LA, which provided the medicines and supplies for animal care.

This is the second time that HSI/LA has travelled to Talamanca to work with SENASA. The collaboration has resulted in significant improvement in the welfare of local residents’ companion animals. HSI/LA expects to contribute every three months to animal health fairs in the province.

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Media contact for HSI/LA:

Humane Society International / Global

Dog saved from dogfighting operation
Jay Kim/The HSUS

HSI and The Humane Society of the United States offer rewards for information about dogfighting in Costa Rica or the United States. Learn how to spot the signs of dogfighting.

Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, the Tip Line for Complaints Against Dogfighting (8625-6000) allows citizens to send videos, photos and messages by cell phone that will identify people or places involved in dogfighting activities.

Through the tip line, people can report any type of animal fighting activities, contribute to the eradication of breeding facilities, provide information on locations holding illegal fights, and ultimately help dismantle animal fighting rings.

If the information provided is accurate and ultimately leads to the seizure of abused dogs and/or the arrest of those involved animal fights, the informant will receive a reward of up to US $1,500 from HSI/Latin America.

United States

In the United States, The HSUS offers a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in dogfighting. If you have information about illegal animal fighting in your area, you can call HSUS’s animal fighting tip line at 877-TIP-HSUS and your information will be kept confidential. Learn more.

Note: The HSUS also offers a reward for information about cockfighting, and about U.S. puppy mills (for the latter, call 1-877-MILL-TIP).

If you live in the United States, here are more ways to help.

Report it

If you have information about a potentially illegal dogfighting operation, here are the steps to take:

1. Call your local police department or animal control agency. Give them as many details as you can about the suspected animal fighting operation. You do not need to give your name to law enforcement to report your information. You can also call our tip lines.

Note: In order to qualify for the rewards program, this must be an open case. Additionally, law enforcement officers (including ACOs and humane officers) are not eligible for our rewards program.

2. Get a letter from law enforcement. If the suspected animal fighter is convicted, ask the law enforcement agency involved in the case to write a letter to HSI/The HSUS. The letter should state that your tip helped lead to the arrest and prosecution. The letter should be mailed, faxed, or emailed to:

Animal Fighting Reward Program
c/o Adam Parascandola
The Humane Society of the United States
1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20037
Fax: 301-721-6414
aparascandola@humanesociety.org

3. Call us for more information. If you have questions about the reward program, please call us at 202-452-1100.

Spread the word

Order our animal fighting reward posters and display them prominently throughout your community or wherever you suspect illegal animal fighting occurs. To order posters in English (United States tip line), email crueltyresponse@humanesociety.org. For Spanish (Costa Rica tip line), email cdent@hsi.org. You can also download PDFs of our U.S./English and C.R./Spanish posters.

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