Maximum Penalty for Puppy Miller Skip Eckhart
- by: Animal Lovers and Cruelty Fighters
- recipient: Lehigh County Courthouse, Allentown, PA
Please sign this petition in support of the maximum penalty allowed by law for the horror caused by this man. Not only did he cause much pain to dogs, but also cats and birds. Help us make sure he can't touch another animal again-convict him for the abuse and neglect these animals have suffered.
State authorities removed 250 dogs today from the Almost Heaven kennel in Upper Milford.
Officials from the state Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Humane Society joined state police in arriving at the kennel around noon, along with several trailers. Chris Ryder, a Department of Agriculture spokesman, said the animals were seized and will be transported to a temporary shelter near the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg.
From there, the dogs will be dispersed to various shelters around the state and will be made available for adoption.
Ryder said the seizing of the animals came about because kennel owner Derbe "Skip" Eckhart had exhausted his legal options to overturn the suspension of his license. Ryder said Eckhart was not on the property when authorities arrived but did show up later and was informed of the operation.
The was no information immediately available on the condition of the animals.
Eckhart in January was denied a 2009 kennel license following an October 2008 inspection that showed "significant violations" of the state dog law, according to the state.
Last month, Department of Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff upheld the license denial. Eckhart's attorney, Kevin Fitzgerald of Olyphant, Lackawanna County, has said he would appeal Wolff's decision. Meanwhile, Eckhart is facing a new allegation that he bred a dog at the kennel in violation of a cease and desist order.
A state dog warden found the violation during a May 22 inspection at the kennel, located at 4202 Chestnut St., according to a complaint filed June 15 at District Court in Emmaus.
During the inspection, Dog Warden Kristen Donmoyer discovered that a boxer named Marci gave birth to four puppies at the kennel on May 13, the complaint says.
Eckhart, under a February license suspension order, was prohibited from increasing the number of dogs at the kennel.
Last month, Eckhart was charged with bringing 30 dogs from New York to the kennel. Inspectors also found a number of records violations and an unacceptable amount of feces in a dog pen during an April 23 inspection.
We are writing to you on behalf of all the animals that were living in deplorable, disgusting, inhumane conditions in the Almost Heaven Kennel in Upper Milford, PA. This is in regard to the 250 dogs removed that did not have adequate food, proper shelter from the heat and cold, and the proper veterinary care they so desparately needed.
Rarely, if ever, did these animals see any time outside of a small kennel or crate where they were forced to continously breed puppies until they were unable to continue and die.
What we requesting of you is that the maximum penalty is served for each allegation faced by the breeding operation known as Almost Heaven, and it's owner Skip Eckhart. The rescue community has come together to rehabilitate and save the dogs this man gave little attention to. We now need your help to ensure that he serves adequate time for his wrong-doings.
By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.
Having problems signing this? Let us know.