GOOD NEWS: Montecito Pet Shop Stops Selling Milled Dogs

ANOTHER VICTORY FOR LAST CHANCE FOR ANIMALS' PET SHOP PROJECT!

THE MONTECITO PET SHOP STOPS

SELLING PURE BREED DOGS FROM BREEDERS

Last Chance for Animals (LCA) has succeeded in convincing another pet store to carry only rescue dogs! The Montecito Pet Shop in Santa Barbara will no longer buy pure breed puppies from breeders but instead will only re-home shelter dogs!

Santa Barbara residents contacted Kim Sill who heads LCA's "Pet Shop Project," wanting to protest the pet store after watching the special Dog Whisperer episode: "Inside Puppy Mills" this past May. LCA's investigation of the Pet Shop determined that the store was buying pure bred puppies from backyard breeders. Elyse Kuhn, who has owned the Montecito Pet Shop for 22 years, agreed to work with LCA after many meetings with Sill. She decided it was time to help the dogs on death row in the overcrowded shelters in California instead of participating as part of the problem.

On October 23, 2009, The Montecito Pet Shop welcomed their first litter of rescued puppies to their store! Sill delivered the six eight-week old pups, the last of the dogs to be removed off the Bemis property in Mojave.

Click here to watch video of The Montecito Pet Shop welcoming their first litter of rescue dogs!

Kim Sill of LCA commented: "It was very rewarding to watch the change in perceptions as the customers viewed the rescue puppies. The mood is different when people know that it is a rescue, there is hope and there is change in Santa Barbara tonight."

LCA is working towards a day in making Los Angeles a no kill city, where pet stores no longer support puppy mills and breeders, but shelter animals and rescue groups. LCA is committed to oversee and endorse pet stores in Los Angeles that are willing to change their business practice and re-home shelter animals.

SB 250 - The Pet responsibility Act has been put on hold until January. This bill would provide a reasonable, fiscally responsible step towards reducing pet overpopulation in California. The bill simply requires that dogs be spayed or neutered unless their owner/guardian obtains an unaltered dog license when they license their animal. It also requires that roaming cats be spayed and neutered by their owner/guardian.

In California shelters alone, since January 1, 2009, 237,457 pets have been killed, and $118,586,524 tax dollars have been spent to house and kill animals.

Campaigns Department
Last Chance for Animals
310-271-6096 x27
Campaigns@LCAnimal.org

Bemis Mojave Property 6/6/2009

Oct 2, 2009: Convicted Animal Abuser Released 3 Months Early

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Cynthia Bemis a convicted animal abuser has been released from prison 3 months early.

Bemis was sentenced to one year in prison after she was convicted of animal cruelty for having more than 250 dogs on her Mojave compound.

The Lerdo Pre-Trial facility confirmed Bemis was released on Wednesday and put in the program Kern County’s Adult Transitional Team.

According to the State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, ATT is a full service partnership team to serve adults who have previously been inappropriately served because traditional mental health services were not effective in meeting their needs.

A rescue group known as, Last Chance For Animals still visits Bemis's compound regularly -- and say they are still finding animals dumped there and rescuers say some are even being poisoned by neighbors..." More & video

MOJAVE UPDATE: Bemis & Trapani Sentenced

Hoarder Cindy Bemis and her cohort Cynthia Trapani, were finally sentenced on July 8th, at the Bakersfield Courthouse in Kern County. As expected, the punishment did not meet the crime. Bemis, who was handed a one year jail term, will probably be released as early as January. Trapani, who was given only 90 days, will be released within days.

Judge Twisselman, stating that the court distinguishes between intent to abuse, and abuse through neglect, chose the latter distinction. He took into consideration the fact that there were no prior felony convictions (only misdemeanors) and the defendants age (63 and 48) Trapani lawyer, Richard Rivera, submitted letters from the defendants Doctor and Mother, stating that her mental illness would be better treated outside of a jail environment. The Judge did reference a very large file of letters written in support of a tough sentence, which undoubtedly helped influence the strict 5 year probation to run concurrent with the sentence for both defendants:

1) Defendants shall not own or be in possession of any animals, or live on a property with animals.

2) Defendants cannot live with another person who has more than 3 animals.

3) Defendants cannot operate anything connected to a 501c3, rescue organization or sanctuary

4) Animal Control and Sheriffs Department can, and will, access and search property at any time, with or without probable cause.

5) 100 hours of community service

6) Psychological counseling

7) Restitution in the amount of $37, 874

If probation is violated in anyway, it will lead to a much stiffer sentence in State Prison (3- 4 years)

Of course, they can always move to another State and begin again. Recidivism rates for hoarders is 100%....More

Jun 6, 2009: MOJAVE UPDATE: 80 Dogs Still Need Rescue

May 27, 2009: Animal Rescuers Remove Dying Animals From Mojave Compound (including video)

May 21, 2009: Last Chance for Animals Given custody of Bemis' dogs. Click below to see video, volunteer or make a donation...

"...Last Chance for Animals (LCA) Special Investigative Unit (SIU), has been surveilling a hoarding situation in Mojave, CA. The original owners of the property have been convicted on 20 counts of combined animal cruelty charges. They are being held without bail, pending sentencing.

There are over 200 animals on this property that need to be rescued ASAP! LCA has been given sole authorization by the owner to remove the animals and has already saved 65 dogs and 2 cats. There are still approximately 200 animals that need to be taken off the property!..."

Please contact Kim Sill for details regarding the rescue at: kimsill123@gmail.com
Rescue organizations must bring proof of 501 (c) 3 nonprofit status.Please donate online to LCA at the link below and put "Mojave Dogs" in the comment box or call 310-271-6096 x 26.

LCA Video

KGET New Report & Video

May 21, 2009: Bemis Convicted: Mojave Dogs Need Help

Dog pictures above credit: Helen Storey

Blog: The Wannabe Stockdog Blog: Cindy Bemis can rot in hell

Pet-Abuse File

May 19, 2009: Mojave animal rescuer Cindy Bemis, and assistant Cynthia Trapani, were convicted Monday on multiple counts of animal abuse.

By James Burger

Bemis popped into the public eye in 2003 after a trailer fire on the East Trotter Avenue property where she houses her rescue burned down and killed a number of her dogs.
That launched a long series of battles with local animal control officers that ended in animal abuse charges against her. The long delayed court case ended in victory for Kern County Animal Control when a jury convicted Bemis on 17 felony counts of animal cruelty.

Trapani, who pushed an animal control officer during an inspection of the East Trotter Avenue property and was tazered by Sheriff's officials, was convicted of six felony counts of animal cruelty. A felony assault charge, tied to the pushing incident, was reduced to a misdemeanor conviction by the jury.

Bemis and Trapani are currently in jail pending a June 17 sentencing hearing..."

Kern County Animal Control Director Guy Shaw said the Bemis case, the department's first major animal abuse cases against a professed animal rescue group, has taught the department a lot about investigating, documenting and bringing such a case forward to the District Attorney for prosecution.

Shaw said the county knows about other potential abuse cases and will be doing its best to bring animal abusers to justice.

"We’re going to bring these cases forward. It’s something we’re going to absolutely do — find these cases and bring them forward," he said. "We know what needs to be done to win a trial."

As for the animals that remain on the East Trotter property, Shaw said the department is trying to find out what it can do to make sure the animals are cared for. During the case, Bemis won an injunction keeping the Sheriff's Department and Animal Control off her property.

Shaw said he's trying to get direction from the District Attorney about how they can take over care of Bemis' animals..." More

May 19, 2009: 2 Women Convicted Of Animal Cruelty-Women Face Up To 10 Years In Prison

January 5, 2009: Hoarder’s Dogs Ready for Foster Homes after 3-Year Life in Shelters

By Roni Raczkowski, Best Friends Network Volunteer

Legal delays over hoarder case put 33 dogs behind bars; court still holds out on prospect of “forever” homes

As if the county shelters do not have enough to deal with, the fate of more than 30 dogs that have been living in four area shelters for nearly three years has hung in the balance while they live caged shelter lives. Their only crime was to be on Cindy Bemis’ property during a hoarding raid, and now they must wait as the legal cat and mouse game is played out between Bemis and Los Angeles, Kern and San Bernardino counties. Meanwhile, the shelters are overflowing due to overpopulation, economic crises, foreclosures and animals who lost their homes in other ways.

Who Is Cindy Bemis?
Cindy Bemis has been cited with various offenses ranging from animal cruelty to hoarding, dating back to January 2003. Specific details of the charges against her, Vince Rhodes, and Cynthia Trapani can be found on Pet-Abuse website. Hundreds of dogs have suffered or been euthanized due to inhumane living conditions at various properties. Even now, the fate of almost 200 dogs at Bemis’ Mojave compound hangs in the balance as they weather a cold and snowy winter while legal wrangling between Bemis’s attorney and the county continues..." More


Feb 27, 2009: A Dire Emergency: The Bemis Dogs

June 6, 2008: Two arrested in Mojave animal cruelty indictment

March 4, 2008: Officers raid home of alleged animal hoarder