New Charges against dog shooting suspect

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/01/new-charges-against-dog-shooting-suspect.html

Charges filed in shooting of dog in Lake County

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/01/lake-county-sheriff-probes-dog-shooting.html

Lake County Sheriff probes dog shooting

WGN Chicago Breaking News
January 28, 2010 8:28 PM

Employees from Save-a-Pet animal shelter near Grayslake had been trying since dawn to catch the black dog they believe had been dumped in their parking lot overnight by his owner.

They followed the animal, who'd been darting across busy roads, tried to lure him with food and set out a trap provided by Lake County Animal Control.

But when shelter manager Dana Deutsch spotted the terrier mix in a field about a mile from the shelter at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, she thought this might be her chance.

Instead, she said, she saw a man inside a nearby home raise a gun and point the scope in the direction of the animal. Then she heard a gunshot. After confronting the man - who she said "seemed to have a smile on his face" and denied he was aiming for the dog - Deutsch called police. Then she and a couple of Round Lake public works employees who'd also been trying to catch the dog found him in a pool of blood and took him to an emergency clinic.

The dog, whom the no-kill shelter staff named Justice, was dead from a gunshot wound to the neck.

The Lake County sheriff's office is investigating but had announced no charges as of late Thursday.

"People say, 'It's just a dog.' Well, it could have been your dog," Deutsch said. "It's a living creature, and nothing deserves to die like that."

Shelter development director Marc Portugal said that though this instance had "the most extreme possible outcome," it's sadly not uncommon for people who can no longer care for their pets to simply leave them overnight in the parking lot of the shelter. "A lot of people think they're actually helping by dumping their pets. It's actually the opposite," he said.

Deutsch said Justice had been well-fed, was neutered and had a shiny, healthy coat - not typical for a neglected dog.

--Diana Wallace

Did YOU dump a dog @ SAVE-A-PET yesterday?

This was his fate...Date: 2010-01-27, 9:54PM

IF THIS IS YOUR DOG....YOU DESERVE TO ROT IN HELL. FOR ANYONE OUT THERE WHO IS CONSIDERING DUMPING THEIR PET, THINK ABOUT THIS. THIS COULD BE YOUR FRIENDS FATE TOO. YOU MADE A COMMITMENT BY GETTING AN ANIMAL, NOW HONOR IT BY KEEPING AND CARING FOR THEM. Around 6:00 am yesterday morning our first staff member arrived at the shelter. She saw a black dog standing by our back door to the shelter. Next to him was a bag half full of dog food and two doggie toys. No telling how long he had been standing there waiting for his family to come back, but there he was. When the staff member pulled up he ran up to her car, looking for his family, but ran off when he found it was a stranger. He would run across Fairfield, a busy road, but kept coming back to the parking lot trying to find his family. We would try to catch him, but he would run off again. We set up a trap at about 11:30, but didnt see him again. Around 2:00pm, a staff member said she saw him about a mile down the road near 120 and Fairfield, a very busy intersection. She wasn't able to go after him. So, I went out looking for him to try and divert him back towards the shelter and the trap, if I couldn't catch him. I drove around and was driving down a road a half mile from the shelter, Townline. As I drove by this one home, I saw him in the field behind the home. He wasn't doing anything, just staning there alone. I started to back the car up to see if I could approach him from the other side of the home. As I was backing up down Townline, I heard a gunshot. I put the car in the drive and tried to see who was shooting at the house. I just knew they were shooting at the dog. I heard another shot and backed up again, looking like crazy to see who was shooting. As I was backing up I was able to look through the front window of the home. What I saw sickened me. I saw, on the other side of the home (inside the home), I watched a man raise his arm up with a rifle and take aim out his back window. I knew it was a rifle because I could see the scope. As he aimed, another gunshot rang out. I pulled into his driveway and jumped out screaming and went pounding on his front door. I screamed that he was shooting my dog and to stop. He put the gun down and came to the door. He opened the door and said he wasn't shooting at a dog. He said he was shooting something (I dont remember what exactly) in his back yard, some type of can thing on top of something else. He asked me if I wanted to come see. I told him no I was calling the police. As I dailed the police, I backed up my car and could see the dog now lying in the field. This dog had been running all day. There was only one reason he would by laying down. He had been shot. I ran across the field and was joined by two Round Lake Public Works guys in a truck. They took the phone and talked to the police for me. We reached the dog and he was lying, half twisted in a pool of blood. There was blood all around him. He had obviously suffered and walked around before he finally fell to the ground. The dog took a agonal breath, but it was still a breath. The guys helped load him and myself in there truck and drove us to my car. I took him to AETC, but when I l ifted him out of the car, I knew he was dead. He died in my car on the way. The bastard that shot him lives .6 miles from our shelter. I need this dog to get justice. I need people to know what can happen when you just leave an animal somewhere, and I need for everyonen to remember this beautiful boy who just wanted his family back. NOTE to whoever dumped this poor boy at the shelter, Save-A-Pet, in Grayslake, IL: He loyal and full of love for you, waited for you to come back to pick him up. All day long people tried to catch him and he would run off (across an extremely busy road) and kept coming back to the shelter waiting for you. If a car pulled up, he would go to it, looking for you. He would then run off when he saw it wasn't you. He waited and then he went looking for you. While looking for you, he was shot and killed. While waiting for you to come back and get him.
IF YOU RECOGNIZE THIS DOG OR KNOW WHO THE OWNERS ARE OR HAVE ANY INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE GRAYSLAKE POLICE DEPT. (847) 223-2341 OR SAVE-A-PET (847) 740-7788.
THANK YOU.

WGN CHICAGO BREAKING NEWS STORY

Pet Rescue shelter agrees to give up animals

January 19, 2010 3:56 PM

Pet Rescue, the controversial Bloomingdale animal shelter, agreed today to turn over nearly 200 animals to other shelters approved by the state.DuPage Judge Ronald Sutter signed an agreed order that calls for the shelter at 151 N. Bloomingdale Road to give its current collection of 149 cats, 29 dogs, 15 doves, two guinea pigs and one rabbit to other animal shelters that are approved by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
The state had taken away the shelter's license last year, but the operators were able to keep the animals they currently had. Criminal charges filed in 2008 against the shelter's two operators -- Dale Armon, 74, of Berkeley, the owner of the shelter, and Penny Horak, 69, of Winfield, a director of the shelter -- are still pending.Both of them have been charged with more than a dozen misdemeanor charges of animal neglect. The charges stem from complaints of overcrowding and insufficient treatment of the animals, resulting in some of them being euthanized.Neither one was in court Today.The state agriculture department took away the shelter's license last November, citing improper record maintenance of the animals in their care. The shelter has been in operation since 1973, according to court records.-- Art Barnum

January 20, 2010

Pet Rescue hearing continued

Daily Herald Staff Report
Published: 1/20/2010 5:24 PM

Bloomingdale's plan commission will continue a public hearing that began Tuesday about whether to recommend revoking the license of the embattled Pet Rescue animal shelter to the village board.
The commission's next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at Bloomingdale village hall, 201 S. Bloomingdale Road.
Tuesday's testimony and public input lasted about four hours, with residents and officials weighing in.
On Tuesday, a DuPage County judge ordered Pet Rescue operators to begin transferring the nearly 200 animals being housed there immediately to other Illinois shelters.

January 19, 2010

Judge orders embattled shelter Pet Rescue to transfer animals

By Jake Griffin Daily Herald Staff
Published: 1/19/2010 2:52 PM Updated: 1/19/2010 4:17 PM

A DuPage County judge Tuesday ordered the operators of a controversial animal shelter in Bloomingdale to begin transferring the nearly 200 animals being housed there immediately to other Illinois shelters.
Judge Ronald Sutter denied requests by the attorney for the operators of Pet Rescue to allow the two women who run the shelter to transfer the animals to facilities in Wisconsin.
Sutter sided with Assistant State's Attorney Mandy Meindl, who provided shelter attorney Rick Schoenfield with a list of state-licensed operations where the animals could be transferred.
The state recently revoked Pet Rescue's license after years of wrangling with the operators, Penny Horak and Dale Armon. The women are facing animal cruelty charges stemming from the operation of the shelter and are facing revocation of the shelter's special use permit as well by the village of Bloomingdale.
Opponents of Pet Rescue have been urging the state and county to shut down the facility for years, claiming Armon and Horak are hoarding the animals and not properly caring for them. Recently, a rescue agency dealing with farm animals took custody of Armon's array of farm animals from her ranch in upstate Hebron.
Sutter didn't specify a timeline for the transfer of the animals from Pet Rescue. When the animals are transferred, the operators have to alert the state's attorney's office within five days with the animal's name, microchip data and shelter information.
At last count, Meindl said there were 149 cats, 29 dogs and a small number of doves, guinea pigs and rabbits all being housed at the Pet Rescue shelter at 151 N. Bloomingdale Road. Meindl's list includes only "no kill" shelters like Pet Rescue purports to be.
Armon and Horak were not in court Tuesday, but they are expected back Feb. 26 for a hearing on pretrial motions in relation to the animal cruelty case against them, Sutter said.
window.

January 19, 2010

www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/ct-met-0120-petrescue-20100119,0,1705037.story
chicagotribune.com

Bloomingdale shelter will hand off animals to others
Deal reached with operators accused of neglect

By Art Barnum and Vikki Ortiz Healy, Tribune reporters
January 19, 2010

An animal shelter in Bloomingdale whose operators have been accused of neglect will turn over nearly 200 animals to other shelters under a deal reached in court Tuesday.
Pet Rescue, 151 N. Bloomingdale Road, will give its current collection of 149 cats, 29 dogs, 15 doves, two guinea pigs and one rabbit to animal shelters approved by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
The state had taken away the shelter's license last year, but the operators were able to keep the animals they had.
Criminal charges filed in 2008 against the operators — owner Dale Armon, 74, of Berkeley, and director Penny Horak, 69, of Winfield — are still pending.
Both have been charged with more than a dozen misdemeanor charges of animal neglect. The charges stem from complaints of crowding and insufficient care of the animals, resulting in some of them being euthanized.
Neither was in court today or could be reached for comment. The shelter has been in operation since 1973, according to court records.
Tuesday's ruling means that Armon and Horak will be responsible for arranging the transfer of animals from their shelter to other Illinois shelters in good standing with the Department of Agriculture. Because there are so many animals, they'll likely be dispersed across several shelters, said Colleen O'Keefe, division manager of food safety and animal protection for the department.
Kerry Vinkler, executive director of DuPage County Animal Care & Control, said the judge's order comes as some shelters are struggling with an influx of animals given up for economic reasons, with the cat population exceptionally high.
But both O'Keefe and Vinkler said there are enough shelters to handle the Pet Rescue animals.
If the DuPage County shelter — the only shelter in the county that cannot refuse an animal — is asked to assist in rescuing the animals from the Bloomingdale shelter, employees would likely divide the animals up between 150 rescues and shelters in the DuPage Animal Sheltering Alliance, Vinkler said.
"It would be a huge rescue effort, but … I think that we would absolutely be able to manage this," she said.
abarnum@tribune.com
vortiz@tribune.com
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune

HARPS TO THE RESCUE IN HEBRON

http://www.harpsonline.org/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=News&refno=27

PUBLIC HEARING ATTENDENCE NEEDED

January 19, 2010
Tuesday @ 7:30 pm
Bloomingdale Village Hall
201 South Bloomingdale Road
Bloomingdale, Illinois

HARPS rescues animals from Hebron farm

By SARAH SUTSCHEK - ssutschek@nwherald.com

HARPS rescues animals from Hebron farm

HEBRON – Volunteers could hear cats mewing behind a door, but they couldn’t get in to give them food or water because it was locked.
Ten dogs, seemingly friendly, jumped at their cage doors in a foul-smelling room, wanting attention. A duck, a chicken and a peacock shared the same cage in a separate room. A goat was unable to stand.
After someone called to report the animals’ living conditions about a month ago, volunteers from the Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society have been going to Rothmore Farm on Route 173 in Hebron to care for more than 20 animals.
A hose had to be stretched from the house to provide water for the animals, including about 12 sheep, two horses, a large steer, and several donkeys. Their water had been frozen or become black and slushy with manure, said Ronda Ewing of HARPS.
On Tuesday, HARPS volunteers loaded up a trailer and an equine ambulance with many of the animals and brought them back to the organization’s Barrington Hills home base in hopes of finding them foster homes.
Their elderly owner, Dale Armon, relinquished them after HARPS’ founder, Donna Ewing, convinced her that she was not able to care for them properly.
Several years ago, McHenry County officials seized more than 70 animals from Armon after their conditions were deemed “deplorable.” But officials have an even longer history with her going back at least a decade, Illinois Department of Agriculture spokesman Jeff Squibb said.
“It’s not licensed as an animal shelter, so it’s not subject to the routine inspections,” Squibb said.
The only way they can go on site is if there’s evidence of wrongdoing, he said.
“We have been allowed on the premises in the recent past, and on those occasions, the animals were not in any immediate danger,” Squibb said.
The state has re-entered the picture by filing another lawsuit against Pet Rescue Inc., which Armon served as president, claiming financial mismanagement. The organization has a Bloomingdale shelter that recently lost its license as an animal shelter after a series of violations, Squibb said.
The latest lawsuit accuses Armon of spending more than $70,000 of Pet Rescue’s money, much of which allegedly was raised through claiming that it was a charitable organization despite failing to register as one.
Armon is accused of paying property taxes on personal property with Pet Rescue money, as well as personal expenses at numerous restaurants, hotels and gas stations mostly near the Hebron farm.
Attempts to reach Armon were unsuccessful Tuesday. She was not at the farm as the animals were removed. The phone number at the Bloomingdale pet rescue has been disconnected, and no local phone numbers for Armon are listed.
Ronda Ewing said she was unsure of where the animals taken to HARPS came from before they were in Armon’s custody.
“It’s not hard to come by animals in need of homes,” she said.
Donna Ewing said she told Armon that she would be able to have the animals back, should she prove that she would be able to care for them, including paying for food and vet bills.
The animals were just too much for Armon, who said she had another woman helping her, Donna Ewing said. All things considered, the animals were in good shape, she said.
But Armon is a collector, an animal hoarder, she said.
“This is where love goes awry,” she said.

Copyright © 2010 Northwest Herald. All rights reserved.

Pet Rescue Inc. Owners Relinquish Farm Animals

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/special_report/animal-rescue

Updated: Tuesday, 12 Jan 2010, 10:07 PM CSTPublished : Tuesday, 12 Jan 2010, 9:02 PM CST
By Mark Saxenmeyer, FOX Chicago News

Chicago - A small group of private citizens have rescued what they say were neglected animals, living in filthy, frozen conditions. It took them just two hours to complete the rescue-, something state-licensed animal welfare investigators have been either unable or unwilling to do for two years.
To city folk, they might just look like just a bunch of farm animals, but for those who've been monitoring the health and well-being of hundreds of animals under the care of two Illinois women, Dale Armon and Penny Horak, the sight of the four-legged critters scampering into their new home at a Barrington Hills animal rescue facility, was pure joy.
" They're free at last!" said Dr. Susan Lillis, an animal welfare advocate. She was in Barrington to witness the transfer.
The animals were among dozens removed from Armon and Horak's remote McHenry County farm in Hebron today. The leaders of HARPS, the Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society, say they convinced the women to relinquish control after documenting what they call the abhorrent conditions on the farm.
"Deplorable is kind of a strong word but it's pretty accurate, " said HARPS' Geoff Kass.
Nevertheless, many animals, like a dozen dogs that are caged in the cold on the farm, were left behind. HARPS was not allowed to take them away.
"They absolutely need to be removed because they're not getting adequate care," said Donna Ewing, the president and founder of HARPS.
For close to two years, FOX Chicago News has investigated Armon and Horak, the proprietress of Pet Rescue Inc., a non-profit no-kill pet shelter that houses hundreds of animals in suburban Bloomingdale. They stand accused of 22 counts of animal neglect in DuPage County, they've had their license revoked from the Department of Agriculture and they stand accused by the state Attorney General of using money donated to help the animals for their own personal use.
Despite all this legal wrangling, until Tuesday none of the allegedly endangered animals had been removed from Armon and Horak's care.
The animal rescue workers say they stepped in because local county and state leaders have not. FOX spoke with Mchenry County leaders Tuesday and they say they were out inspecting the Hebron farm two weeks ago, and they saw no problems there.
The animal workers from HARPS and other animal welfare advocates say that's hard to believe.
"Pictures don't lie. Documentation doesn't lie. We see what comes out of these situations. None of it is a lie so why didn't anyone do anything?" said Kris Nesheim, a former Pet Rescue Inc. worker.
Horak and Armon are fighting all the charges they currently face, maintaining their innocence on all fronts. HARPS leaders say Horak and Armon are still hoping to have the animals returned to them once their legal problems are cleared up.
This case aside, the recession is leading to more animal rescues than ever before, as many people can't afford to care for their pets. Hundreds and hundreds of animals that need saving state-wide are being turned loose or abandoned because most of the humane organizations are already full due to the overwhelming demand for help.
For more information about HARPS, go to harpsonline.org or call 847-382-0503.

TONIGHT

FOX 32 new tonight at 9:00pm
Mark Saxenmeyer exposes the Hebron Farm

January 12, 2010

Pet Rescue operators giving up farm animals

By Jake Griffin Daily Herald Staff
Published: 1/12/2010 12:01 AM

The operators of a controversial Bloomingdale pet shelter are giving up custody of farm animals they own and keep in upstate Hebron.
Donna Ewing, founder of the Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society, said her group is picking up the farm animals today and will be looking for foster farms to care for the animals. Ewing said owner Dale Armon, who runs the recently de-licensed Pet Rescue in Bloomingdale, agreed to give up custody of the farm animals on a temporary basis.
"She can take them back if she can pay for all the vet bills and feed bills," Ewing said.
Ewing's group has been caring for the animals for about a month, she said. They are all in "decent condition" considering they were found in "desperate need of water," she said.
The animals include 12 sheep and goats, two Arabian horses, four donkeys, several chickens, a miniature potbelly pig and a "huge Brown Swiss steer."
For information about providing foster care for any of the animals, call HARPS at (847) 382-0503 or visit harpsonline.org.
Arson and Pet Rescue partner Penny Horak are also on the verge of giving up custody of the animals being housed at the Bloomingdale shelter. A DuPage County judge has set a Jan. 19 deadline to come up with a relocation plan. That same day, the village's plan commission will discuss revoking the shelter's special-use permit now that it is no longer licensed by the state.

PUBLIC HEARING ATTENDENCE NEEDED

January 19, 2010
Tuesday @ 7:30 pm
Bloomingdale Village Hall
201 South Bloomingdale Road
Bloomingdale, Illinois

January 8, 2010

Embattled Bloomingdale pet shelter close to giving up animals

By Jake Griffin Daily Herald Staff
Published: 1/9/2010 12:00 AM

Scores of animals being held at a controversial shelter in Bloomingdale that recently lost its state license could be relocated soon to new shelters.
A DuPage County judge ordered the operators of Pet Rescue at 151 N. Bloomingdale Road to return Jan. 19 with an agreement to find new shelters for the animals being kept there. The state took away the shelter's license in November following years of complaints by former clients and volunteers that the two women operating the shelter were hoarding animals and providing improper care. Neither woman was in court Friday.
The women, Pet Rescue President Dale Armon and director Penny Horak, are facing a series of lawsuits, including one filed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Madigan sued Armon in September after accusing her of spending at least $70,000 of the nonprofit group's funds for personal use since 2007.
For example, the lawsuit alleges, Armon paid her Cook County property tax bill for a house in Berkeley in 2008 with shelter assets. Authorities accused her of improperly spending more funds at restaurants, stores and motels in the Hebron, Woodstock and Lake Geneva areas.
Armon, 75, also lives rent free in a Pet Rescue-owned home in Hebron, the suit states.
The shelter is also facing having its special-use permit revoked by Bloomingdale. A plan commission hearing is also scheduled for the evening of Jan. 19. Village Administrator Dan Wennerholm said now that the shelter no longer has a state license it is in violation of the permit. The village had talked of revoking the permit a year ago, but the issue never made it to a hearing. Wennerholm didn't know when the village board would take up the matter if revocation is recommended by the commission.

HEAR YE HEAR YE

STATE OF ILLINOIS )
COUNTY OF DUPAGE )
VILLAGE OF BLOOMINGDALE )
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
TAKE NOTICE that on the 19th day of January, 2010 at the hour of 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, the Plan Commission of the Village of Bloomingdale ("Village") will conduct a public hearing at the Bloomingdale Village Hall, 201 South Bloomingdale Road, Bloomingdale, Illinois, on the matter of a special use permit granted to Pet Rescue, Inc. on August 13, 1979 for the property located at 151 North Bloomingdale Road ("Subject Property") pursuant to Village Ordinance #79-23 ("Ordinance").
The Subject Property is located on the east side of Bloomingdale Road, north of Lake Street, and south of Foster Avenue, and is more particularly identified below with the legal description of the Subject Property as of the date of the Ordinance's passage and approval:
Lots 1 and 2 in John J. Lesmiester’s Assessment Plat of part of the Southeast quarter of the Southwest quarter of Section 10, Township 40 North, Range 10, East of the Third Principal Meridian according to the Plat thereof recorded May 24, 1960, as document 965895 in DuPage County, Illinois.
Common Address: 151 North Bloomingdale Road, Bloomingdale, Illinois
Property Index Numbers: 02-10-307-004 and 02-10-307-005
Pursuant to the Ordinance, the Subject Property is presently zoned B-2 Community Business District with a special use permit to allow the establishment and operation of an animal sanctuary and pet hostelry for dogs and cats ("Special Use Permit"). The purpose of the public hearing is to consider revocation of the Special Use Permit in the event that the Village determines Pet Rescue, Inc. to have violated the requirements of the Ordinance concerning the Special Use Permit, including, but not limited to the requirements of Section 1.3 regarding licensure of the facility by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Such a revocation will no longer allow the operation of an animal sanctuary and pet hostelry at the Subject Property.
Material pertinent to the conduct of the public hearing will be made available for public inspection at the Bloomingdale Village Hall during normal business hours. Members of the public are invited to attend the public hearing, at which time an opportunity will be given to address the Village Plan Commission.
This notice is given pursuant to applicable state statutes and the Village of Bloomingdale Zoning Ordinance.
Pursuant to the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you have any physical or mental condition that would be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Village will make and take all reasonable steps to assist you in participating in the public hearing process.
If you have transportation needs and/or other mechanical needs to assist you in either participating or attending the hearing, please inform us so we can make the appropriate arrangements.
If you need translators or some other assistance to make the process meaningful for you, please also notify us.
It is our goal to provide reasonable accommodations to those with disabilities so they may fully participate in the public hearing process.
Persons requiring auxiliary aids and services should contact the Village Administrator by mail at 201 South Bloomingdale Road, Bloomingdale, Illinois 60108, or by phone at (630) 671-5611 not less than five (5) days prior to the hearing to inform of their anticipated attendance. Text telephone (TDD) users may call (630) 893-7175.
By order of the Plan Commission of the Village of Bloomingdale.
Dated: December 23, 2009
/s/ Jeffrey T. Dolce
Chairman, Bloomingdale Plan Commission