Kennel Owners Killed 80 Dogs Instead of Taking Them to the Vet.

HARRISBURG - Two Berks County kennel operators killed nearly their entire kennel population - 80 dogs - after wardens ordered veterinary exams on dozens of their animals.

After receiving a poor inspection report on July 24, Elmer Zimmerman of Kutztown shot his 70 small-breed dogs and threw them onto a compost pile on his property, according to officials with the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. His brother, Ammon Zimmerman, who operated A & J Kennel next door, shot 10 dogs about the same time, they said.

It is legal for dog owners in the state to put a dog down by shooting it. Gov. Rendell, as part of his effort to improve kennel conditions, is seeking legislation to allow only veterinarians to euthanize commercial kennel dogs.

Elmer Zimmerman, owner of E & A Kennel, said in an interview yesterday that he feared the Department of Agriculture was trying to close him down and that he destroyed the dogs on his veterinarian's recommendation.

"They were old, and we were hearing that they don't want kennels anymore," said Zimmerman, who has held a commercial kennel license since at least 2003. "The best thing to do was get rid of them."

Ammon Zimmerman, reached yesterday by phone, told a reporter his decision to destroy his dogs was "none of your business."

Aguirre, who had cited Zimmerman for multiple dog-law violations and ordered vet checks on 39 dogs for flea and fly bites, told him he didn't believe he had shot the dogs. Zimmerman then got out the backhoe and uncovered the bodies of dogs - among them poodles, shih tzus and cocker spaniels - that had been thrown onto the compost pile, she said.

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Tell San Francisco Art Institute to Stop Promoting Animal Snuff Video (Animal is killed on video!)

The San Francisco Art Institute is running an exhibit now through May 31st made up of video images of six different animals -- a doe, a goat, a horse, an ox, a pig, and a sheep -- being bludgeoned to death with a large sledgehammer by someone calling himself an "artist." Entitled "Don't Trust Me," this sick exhibit is nothing more than a disgusting attempt to pass off the brutal abuse and killing of animals as legitimate art. Please Take Action to urge the Institute to remove this deplorable exhibit immediately, and implement a policy explicitly prohibiting exhibits for which animals were exploited or killed.

Link to exhibit.

Below is an excerpt of how the "Institute" describes this terrible "art".

Don’t Trust Me portrays six animals—a sheep, a horse, an ox, a pig, a goat, and a doe—being struck and killed by a hammer. Each killing occurs so quickly that it’s difficult to determine definitively what has happened. Do these incidents represent slaughter or sacrifice? What are their social, cultural, moral, and political implications? Or are such questions now verging on irrelevance, as if something else altogether were taking place (or about to), something wholly other, unforeseen, unexpected?

Related Information
Contact: Walter & McBean Galleries
415.749.4563

San Francisco Art Institute
800 Chestnut St
San Francisco, CA 94133

A sample letter and opportunity to send a form email is available by clicking 'more' below.

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Owner beats, slaps, kicks, abuses chained dog--CAUGHT ON TAPE!

Again and again the video shows the man come out of the house and drag the dog out of a barrel that is obviously his ‘house’, he’s chained to a tree and the man beats him, kicks him, throws him around, holds him up by collar and chain. The dog whines, cries and huddles, attempts to retreat to the what he believes to be the safety of his barrel only to be dragged back out and beaten again and again.

It hurt to watch this, the dog so pitiful and defenseless, his tag still wagging every time the man approached only to be dealt with more abuse.

Arrested was William Steward Jr. of High Point, NC, who claims this is a case of mistaken identity. “That is not me, this is not me,” said Steward. “I have a dog myself, I love dogs, I would never abuse dogs.”

For months neighbors had been complaining about the abuse and calling the police but there wasn’t enough evidence to do anything but Steward has been suspect for some time, by neighbors and police. A previous video didn’t give police enough information to charge Steward at the time.

“We have received one (call) that we had worked with Humane Society … but there wasn’t enough there to warrant the charge,” said High Point police Lt. Mike Kirk. “But today, one came to light that was twice as long as one we had.”

Steward called the police to try to clear his name after a picture of his driver’s license was aired on local television in connection to the abuse. He says that his only connection to the case is that he used to live at the address four years ago. A neighbor, Dolores Myers said she’s seen the dogs abused and believes they should have been picked up a long time ago. She say the man she saw attacking the animals, the same man in this video, is not Williams Steward.

Some neighbors suspect the man currently living in the house at 303 Whittier Ave. He was not home Saturday for comment.

Despite Steward’s claims of innocence, the police believe they arrested and charged the correct person. If, as Steward claims, he is innocent, he will have his chance in court. He was released on $1,500 bond.

As for the abused dogs at the address, animal control removed four pitbulls Saturday night. “They are friendly dogs, very friendly so they were easy to get,” said animal control officer Nelson Moxley who took the dogs into custody.

If you can stomach it, you can watch the video HERE. As for Steward’s claim of innocence, time and the courts will tell. From the video, it’s not easy to see a person’s face but there’s no doubt it will all come out and I’ll be sure to keep you updated.

Whoever did this to that poor dog shown on the video needs to be dealt with in the harshest manner but from the charges leveled against Steward, three misdemeanors, it won’t happen!


This sickens me beyond belief. I am so mad right now, I am shaking. How could anyone do this? How could they just look at that sweet dog who is wagging his tail and do this? I will follow this case very closely!