(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Animal-welfare group seeks criminal probe of Boone County dog breeder [1]
['Clark Kauffman', 'More From Author', '- September']
Date: 2023-09-29
Animal-welfare advocates are calling for a criminal investigation of the Boone County breeder who surrendered 93 dogs last week.
The animals, which had been housed at Paris Puppies Paradise in Ogden, were turned over to the Animal Rescue League and Boone Area Humane Society. The state-licensed dog breeding operation is owned by 57-year-old Joel Paris.
According to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy went to Paris’ residence on Sept. 22 to conduct a welfare check on a female who was reported to be missing. The deputy noticed “many dogs that appeared to be neglected,” the sheriff’s office said in a subsequent news release. Representatives of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship were summoned to assess the animals and conditions inside the facility.
Paris then agreed to surrender 93 of the 119 dogs in his possession.
The report of IDALS’ Sept. 22 inspection indicates state officials observed a build-up of feces, hair and grime in both kennel buildings at Paris Puppies Paradise, including the floors, the walls of the kennel buildings and along the edges of buildings in the outdoor runs.
Some of the organic debris appeared to have fungus or mold growing on it, the inspectors observed, and in some areas, the outdoor concrete appeared stained with urine and feces.
One poodle-mix puppy had an untreated injury that consisted of a fresh wound with hair loss on one hip. Paris reported the puppy had been left overnight in one of the kennel buildings and was found “tangled in some hanging blankets” the next day, inspectors reported.
An adult golden retriever was observed to be very thin, with a veterinarian scoring its body condition as a 2 on a scale of 1 to 9. The inspector informed Paris that he need to provide the dog with immediate, same-day veterinary care. Several dogs were in need of grooming due to matted hair.
Prior to the county deputy’s visit, IDALS last inspected the site in April. At that time, there was the same build-up of grime noted in previous inspections and during the subsequent September visit.
A damaged drain cover in one outdoor runs had allowed water, feces and organic material to collect. At the time, Paris allegedly told officials he had called a veterinarian about two dogs that were previously noted by inspectors to be suffering from hair loss but added that he had not taken the dogs in for treatment.
One of those two dogs was no longer present, inspectors reported, while the other still displayed a significant amount of hair loss all along its back, exposing scaly, pink skin.
In January 2023, an IDALS inspector made note of the odor of ammonia in all of the buildings at the business as Paris was in the process of cleaning the facility when the inspector arrived. “Appears to be several days’ worth of feces in outdoor runs,” the inspector noted.
On four prior occasions – in August, October, November and December 2022 – IDALS reported that it had “attempted” to inspect Paris Puppies Paradise but failed. Typically, that indicates an inspector arrived on scene but couldn’t gain entry to the business.
Last year, police were summoned to the Squeaky Clean Laundromat in the city of Boone, where the owner reported someone had entered their establishment, washed blankets filled with animal waste, and then “left a mess” in the business. This had happened more than once, the owner complained.
“I arrived to find what appeared to be dog waste all over the floors and in the machines,” an officer reported, adding there was a “strong odor of a dog kennel” inside the laundromat. “I also found contaminated water spilled over on several machines and the floor. There were pieces of torn blankets spread throughout the store as well.”
Security-camera footage suggested the suspects were Sara Stanfield – the missing woman who was the subject of the welfare check last week — and Paris, police reported. Court records indicate the two were charged with, and convicted of, trespassing. They were each fined $260.
This week, Mindi Callison, founder and executive director of the animal-welfare organization Bailing Out Benji, asked Boone County Sheriff Andy Godzicki and County Attorney Matthew Speers to investigate Paris Puppies Paradise for violations of Iowa’s animal-cruelty laws.
“We are also requesting that the remaining animals on the property be immediately seized and handed over to a legitimate 501(c)3 animal shelter in the state of Iowa in order to be thoroughly vetted and checked over for additional signs of cruelty and neglect while the investigation is ongoing,” Callison wrote in a letter to the sheriff and prosecutor. “We have strong laws on the books, we just need more sheriffs like those in Wayne and Appanoose counties — Sheriff (Keith) Davis and Sheriff (Gary) Anderson — to apply them to bad actors, which sets a strong precedent moving forward.”
Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to reach Paris for comment.
The sheriff’s office has said no determination has been made regarding any potential criminal charges.
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