Maggic Pets Disappearing Dogs
In Bowie, TX. nearly 500 dogs were seized from the Maggic Pets/Heddins Kennels after a complaint the animals weren’t receiving proper veterinary care.
There were several dead animals found on the premises which according to the website offers breeds including pugs, schnauzers, toy beagles, akitas and shitzus.
Cloyce Heddins, the husband of the kennel’s owner, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the dogs received proper care and authorities had bad information. He said his wife, Carol, has heart problems and was taken to a hospital by ambulance when officers arrived.
“We’ve been in this business a long time,” Heddins told the newspaper. “If you raise dogs, you’ve got to get them veterinary care, especially if you’re trying to make a living of it.”
Sandy Grambort, a supervisor with the Humane Society of North Texas, said authorities found dogs in crates double-stacked in outbuildings, as well as in outdoor pens and kennels. Some had skin conditions and open sores, she said.
While not all the dogs appeared to have health problems, she said those in the poorest condition were discovered at the back of the property, where customers are not allowed.
Almost 500 dogs is a huge number, one which seems too large for any one kennel to handle. While not all the dogs were found to be in bad condition I find it very disconcerting that the ones in the worst condition were in an area not open to customers. Let alone the fact that a few dead animals were found on the premises.
The dogs are being housed at a warehouse until a Montague County justice of the peace determines if they should remain in custody of the HSNT or be returned to the kennel.
* Photo courtesy AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ron Jenkins
These dogs shouldn’t go back to this place!!! What a shame for these dogs to even be considered to be returned to this terrible place. This kennel needs to have animal cruelty charges as well.
Yeah,what a shame! These dogs should go to loving homes with a big fenced in yard!
These kind of people does’nt care about dogs, they even don’t like them, is only buisness.
I hate people like that! How can anyone possibly give enough love and attention to 500 dogs!! It would take a full time staff and 24 hour a day care for keep those dogs clean, fed and time to run and play. Why are these people not in jail???
When the public stops buying dogs, these sort of places will no longer exist. They don’t warehouse dogs because they “spruce up” the place. They do it because they make money from them. And guess what, if there is no demand, there is no supply!!!!! For the people who say they want a full breed dog, the rescues and shelters are full of them. I am aware that not all breeders do this sort of thing, but if you aren’t a part of the solution to the overpopulation of dogs and cats, then you are a part of the problem!! People, we can put these sort of places out of business; spread the word!!
Just to do a little research, I went to the kennel’s web site. You will find many wonderful testimonials there. However, why would they post anything else? Of course the puppy you purchase will be “all shined up” and happy….happy to get out of there. They forget to mention the poor brood bitches kept crated their whole life only to supply puppies for sale. They don’t mention that they do not attend sanctioned shows to further the breed. No, people like this only care about money.
Victoria Bill has nailed it. Anyone purchasing a dog from a puppy mill is responsible for the existence of these hell holes. “But I got mine from a pet store,” you say. Where do you think those overpriced puppies come from? Use your heads people. You can go to a reputable breeder and get a puppy from the same littler as a champion prospect for less than half the cost of a pet store. There are many dogs, several purebreds, in rescue that need homes.
Anyone who buys a dog from a puppy mill or a pet store is indirectly responsible for this problem. Stop the demand, and the problem will go away on its own.
I work with rescue, and we continually try to educate people on puppymills. However the laws arent there in most states to close these down. It takes a angry purchaser to get someone to go look at these places. Please if you know of any in your area, call the local authorities, its the only way to get these dogs help. These dogs are sold in puppy/pet stores, usually purchased thru a broker so the stores will say they did not come from puppy mills. They sell these dogs online, newspaper ads, craigslist and many more. If I would have went to there website and saw all the breeds listed, I would have run. How can you not know that this place is over crowed with dogs..There where 22 breeds listed, that is already 44 dogs..as you have to have a male and female to breed, plus pups..way way to many. We continually get dogs from puppymills, because of the economy, many are going out of business. YEAH!!! but not fast enough. Though many shelters and rescues are at their capacity, we/they continually try and help. If you want to help, go to petfinder.com and type in a breed, and your zipcode, it will list the shelters/rescues in your area as well as the dogs they have. Bring food, toys, bedding, or just your time to socialize the dogs. If you want a dog, or your kids want a dog, but are not sure, foster one, take one home for the weekend, that short time will help the dog and the shelters and rescues. Many of these organizations run purely on donations, so even a dollar helps.
I understand the temptation to also blame the buyers of these dogs. However, this kennel operated under MANY different websites and ads – many of which did not mention more than three breeds which they sold. I, myself, ended up buying my dog from there as a result of these false advertisements. We did not know until we got there and had already paid a deposit that there were so many dogs in the place. Although it looked clean to us in the front, we were still appalled by the number of dogs at the ranch. We were hesitant about the whole situation, but did not have the heart to leave our dog there knowing she could very easily die. We spent countless dollars on vet bills trying to keep her alive after her diagnosis with pneumonia days after bringing her home. When the issue was discussed with the ranch after her diagnosis, we were told that her illness was our fault because the air conditioning was on in our car on the drive home. I think in this situation, it would have been cruel of US to leave the dog in the possession of the Heddins. You may underestimate the anger and frustration of the people who were the victims of these “breeders.” Those who bought the dogs have a lifetime of genetic problems – and judgment from people like you – to look forward to.
Until we started helping out a local rescue I used to think this kind of thing was a Missouri or Pennsylvania type of problem. I know better now, there are so many mega and mini-mills in my own state of Texas. There is a HUGE difference in the personalities of the mill dogs. All those painful quirks break my heart and anyone imposing those conditions on an animal should be jailed for abuse. Some of the breeding dogs are so run down it hurts to look at them and know someone would purposefully put them through that over and over again (and the breeding dogs often have severe genetic defects). It’s disgusting to think of the lives they lead in comparison to some of their puppies sold to loving homes. This type of operation should be completely outlawed with severe consequences.
I just got back from fort worth and adopted two of the dogs. While at the shelter, there was a woman from one of the communities near the puppy mill who who was also adopting a dog. The NTHS said that in just one week they have been able to adopt out nearly 100 of the animals. A humane society from Atlanta also took many of the dogs off our local society. Good to see people who love animals are standing up to help – wish we could have done more to stop this kind of stuff in the first place.