Puppy Mill Produces Despair, Sparks Desperate Pleas for Change

JONESBORO, Ark. – Thirty dogs were euthanized to make room for all of the dogs rescued last Tuesday from a puppy mill in Jonesboro.

The grim details were revealed by Sgt. Larry Rogers, who heads the Jonesboro Police Department Animal Control division. Thirty “healthy, adoptable” dogs died to make room for over fifty dogs seized on January 30 from a home at 220 Baker Street in Jonesboro. Because the seized dogs are still property of the defendant, they must be maintained by animal control – until she has exhausted trial and appeals, or until she surrenders the dogs, whichever happens first.

The puppy mill was discovered when a process server served papers at the address of the suspect in this case, Karen Sue Siegel, 62, of Jonesboro. The limit on pets at a residence in the city is five. Fifty dogs were recovered from the home.

“When she opened the door, [the process server] was assaulted by the sight and the odor,” Rogers said. “[The process server] could see the disarray, and dogs stacked in the kennels in the living room. He took it to the prosecutor, presented it to the judge, and the judge signed off on it.”

SWAT made entry into the home first, on Tuesday, due to a possibility of a weapon on site. Several others, including Sgt. Rogers, sat around the corner waiting for the home to be cleared. Finally, after sweeping the home twice, the all-clear signal was given.

“When I got out of the truck and started walking into the street, they were coming out and the odor was coming out with them,” Rogers said.

Sgt. Rogers described it as the worst case he has seen in his career. The smell inside the home was overwhelming, and authorities called the fire department to use exhaust fans. Firefighters had to use their oxygen tanks when they went inside of the disgusting home. Over half of the dogs were removed from the dwelling before animal control was even allowed to enter. By then, the entire neighborhood smelled like dog urine and feces.

Inside, it was worse. The full details haven’t been released yet, but the floor was caked in fecal matter. Rogers threw his boots away after the search.

Some of those dogs looked like they’ve never been outside before, he said. But as the responders brought the animals out of the horrible conditions, they held the animals close to their hearts, to add comfort to the uncertainty the animals were all experiencing.

Many of the dogs had matted hair and long nails, Rogers said. Three or four were in heat. Three were lactating. Two were dead.

We asked if the suspect was crying when she was booked into the jail, as a photo showed her eyes to be watery and red. There was a pause as Rogers and animal advocate Wannda Turner looked at each other to consider how to deliver the answer.

“Every dog examined had conjunctivitis (eye infections),” Rogers said. “When we came out, all of our eyes were red, too, from the smell of ammonia.”

The probable cause affidavit says the inside of the residence was covered in feces and smelled strongly of urine. While some of the dogs were in cages, several ran loose. Many appeared malnourished and dirty.

A deceased dog was located on the back patio. It appeared to have been there for some time, as it had begun to decompose. Another dead dog was found in a trash bag inside of a freezer.

The suspect faces two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to a dog, cat, or horse, a class D felony punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The suspect also faces 50 counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals, an unclassified misdemeanor with up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000. Her next court date is 8:30 AM on February 20, 2024. A $50,000 bond was set for her release, with the defendant already bonded out of jail.

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Previously Arrested for Running a Puppy Mill

Karen Sue Siegel has previously been arrested on animal cruelty charges related to her operation of a puppy mill in Craighead County.

On February 26, 2015, the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office executed a warrant and seized 31 dogs based on information provided by animal advocates Angie Heringer and Ruth Scroggins, court records show. Nearly all of the dogs had heartworms and several died while being treated, court records say. On October 23, 2015, she was found guilty of all 31 counts. She appealed her conviction to Circuit Court on November 19, 2015.

There were several delays during the appeals process, some of which were at the behest of the defendant. However, by January, 2017, the defense had finished the filings the case was delayed over. A ruling by Judge Brent Davis, which was against the defense, was not issued until May. Then, on September 22, 2017, a motion to dismiss all charges based on speedy trial grounds was filed by the defendant. A hearing was held on October 2 and two days later, an order granting the dismissal was entered. The court ruled that the time between January and May counted against the State’s time limit for a speedy trial.

The State appealed to the Supreme Court, but they dismissed the appeal on September 27, 2018. Even though Siegel had been found guilty, the entire case was thrown out.

Siegel sought to have all the dogs returned, but most of the dogs were unable to be located after rescue groups adopted or fostered them to various homes, some of which were out of state. All of the dogs had been spayed or neutered by then, too.

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How Do We Stop Puppy Mills in Arkansas?

As a society, much of the blame for the puppy mill problem falls on us, animal advocates say. Between bad practices our society engages in that funds and feeds the puppy mill industry, to the lack of laws governing puppy mills; many factors that contribute to the problem are issues we, as a public, can fix.

Ruth Scroggins is an animal rescue advocate who has worked for 30 years to combat animal cruelty. She told NEA Report the more people who understand what puppy mills are and the cruelty inherent to them, the better of a chance something will be done to stop them.

“It needs to be talked about more,” Scroggins said. “Both from an animal welfare point of view and a consumer point of view. With the advent of the internet, people are purchasing dogs on the internet. They haven’t done any type of visit to the facility where they’re being raised. They’re given lots of promises as to the health of the animal that may or may not be true. It’s just important that consumers who are interested in purchasing a purebred dog are knowledgeable about how to do that, both from the point of view of their wallet and from the point of view that they’re not subsidizing animal cruelty.”

Animal advocates say anyone buying a purebred dog should demand to see the facility or home where the dogs are being bred. A legitimate dog breeder will always agree. A breeder with something to hide will make excuses.

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Ruth said the three qualities she looks for in any pet breeding operation are space, socialization, and sanitation. While the dogs have to be fed to survive, they may be in seriously cramped conditions that are often unsanitary, as well. While these are easy to see upon inspection, socialization is just as critically important, Ruth said, and it often is ignored. Dogs that aren’t getting socialization from the early months can have behavior problems.

But the biggest obstacle between where we are and the needed changes is legislation.

Both Ruth and Sgt. Rogers brought up the lack of laws governing dog breeding in Arkansas.

Sgt. Rogers said he wants to see state laws passed that protect the animals but also give law enforcement the right to track a suspect if they go to another county or state to continue their illicit trade. Ruth noted how Arkansas ranks as one of the worst states for puppy mills. She would like to see people be more proactive in pushing for laws to restrict the trade.

“The biggest challenge is in enacting legislation to prevent this from happening,” Ruth said.

Inspections and licensure are the answers to helping this problem, Ruth said.

See More: Chart of Puppy Mill Laws by State

That won’t happen until people change their attitudes about buying dogs. Ruth believes the key is convincing people to stop buying purebred dogs over the internet. She emphasized that if you can’t go directly to the facility and look around, it should be considered a red flag.

Another big red flag is if the breeder refuses to give you the name of the veterinarian. Legitimate breeders should also be asking you questions, as they should care who their puppies are going to.

“The other biggest challenge, and I don’t know how you do this, is changing the market so that people understand that, from an ethical point of view, purchasing a purebred dog from a puppy mill just sustains animal cruelty,” Ruth said. “We have to educate people, pet owners, to consider more humane and ethical ways to bring a pet into their family. It’s a huge problem with designer dogs – what the hot breeds are this month. We have seen this back to 101 Dalmatians, when everyone wanted to have a dalmatian. Then it was doodle dogs and now, rescue groups are flooded with them because the new hot dog is Frenchies. I have never understood and I never will understand the overwhelming desire that people will want something so badly, they’re willing to overlook issues with buying the dog over the internet.”

Animal control needs donations to help care for all of the dogs they’ve seen brought in. They prefer the donations of items instead of the money. However, you can donate an Amazon gift card, Sgt. Rogers said, which will be used to buy supplies. He specifically mentioned old towel and blanket donations as being a priority.

All of the seized dogs must remain with animal control throughout the legal process, unless the suspect surrenders the dogs. This means they can’t be adopted out. This also means animal control will lose valuable space and be forced to euthanize more animals to make room. Sgt. Rogers asked anyone who was able to consider adopting.

He is certain it will save a life.