Not Funny At All!

So yesterday I returned home from my first day at a new job to see something hanging on my door from my local animal control. I immediately called them, back and wondered what it was about, thinking that it maybe had to do with a “stray”  rooster that was wandering around for months, annoying the snot out of people and started chasing me. Then I caught him and he was adopted out to a loving home and was featured on a local newscaster’s Facebook page. It went viral locally and many people associated with me knew that it was the rooster that we jokingly called “Invader Zim”. 

My local animal control returned my call last night and said the thing that every breeder or show person dreads, a complaint was made regarding my dogs, specifically stating that they were noisy and malnourished. I was shocked and flabbergasted. I told the animal control officer to come by the next day that worked with my work schedule. I was terrified because I’ve heard of horror stories of rogue animal control officers seizing breeders’ dogs because then it would be a huge news story and the shelter would be flooded with donation money. So I had a massive panic attack and disassociated for several hours last night. Thankfully I had gotten everything in order from paperwork, making sure that everybody was clean, and had nails done. I also made a public Facebook post about it so that whoever did this is aware that I do have an attorney and will pursue a civil case if this becomes a problem.  

The day arrived of the inspection and it just so happened that I got in a car accident on my way to work so my stress levels were through the roof. Somehow my fiancé and I managed to get everything sorted and taken care of. The animal control officer arrived, I showed him the dogs’ vaccination records, rabies certificates, my multi-dog license, and my credentials with the AKC regarding breeder of record of dogs and main point of contact for the Hamiltonstovare Club of America. My fiancé started bringing each dog out one at a time, we gave the officer their name, breed, age, spay/neuter status, and any titles or accolades earned. While each dog was brought out we detailed the feeding regime and how much care we place on appropriate nutrition. Needless to say, the officer found no violations at all and was incredibly impressed with each dog’s temperament, condition, and muscle tone. He also remarked how well the 4 dogs over 7 years old look because only Kemper, the 12 year old rat terrier mix, is graying.  

He deemed the report that was made a false report and the person who made the report could be charged for making a false report. He also said that if it becomes a repeated issue then I could subpoena the information and pursue a civil case. So let me be extremely clear, making a false statement to scare people or bully people is not funny nor is it a joke. IT IS A CRIME! So hopefully this never happens again but let it be known that my dogs are well cared for, loved, cherished, eat better than I do, and are fitter than I am. Whoever did this, please note I have an attorney, I have a security camera that is motion activated, and the local authorities are aware, so don’t do it again!