Mary Cummins Wildlife Rehabilitation Animal Advocates News Los Angeles California: 2011

Thursday, August 11, 2011

USDA lynx breeder dealer "Lynx Lair" Dorrie Walsh in Tehachapi, California

I first met Dorrie Walsh of the "Lynx Lair" in Tehaqchapi, California in 2007. Someone she knew told me that she saw what appeared to be a tame bobcat at her back door begging to come in. She said there was an old lady in town breeding them. She thought she would breed them release them. I said that didn't make sense but we should go check it out. The neighbor invited me over.

I was a bit shocked that all the cats were declawed. Some were declawed before the ban but some were also declawed afterward. She proudly proclaimed she knew about the ban but did it anyway.

The cats were in 6' tall cage with no enrichment. They were on cement. California Dept of Fish & Wildlife have minimum cage sizes. These were all the bare minimum breeding only cages except they were shorter than the current 8' tall minimum.

While I was there Dorrie told me she has to retire because she's too old. She broke a hip the previous year. Her family doesn't want the cats. She swore to her husband she'd never get another one. She even posted a sign to that effect at her home. I think she had 22 at the time. She didn't know what she would do with the cats.

Some filmmakers for large production companies asked me if I knew of any large wild animals that needed help. I instantly said yes and told them about Dorrie. The people called Dorrie and asked if they could see her cats. Dorrie said yes and we set up an appt.

A group of filmmakers with permission from Dorrie took video of Dorrie Walsh and her cats. They were limping, pacing, lunging, had arthritis, limped when they walked, had no enrichment.... Dorrie admitted on tape she declawed them after it was illegal. She admitted she'd been attacked by her cats and lied to her doctor about her wounds. She admitted the females hated her because she stole their babies soon after birth. It was actually very sad video to see what appeared to be a sweet old lady admitting these horrible things. She didn't realize how incredibly cruel she was treating these animals. The females lunged at her while she walked by their cages. I have about two hours of video of all of this. The others have been more as four of us were taking video.

The people said the situation was very sad. They decided they didn't want to do a show but they did want to help her anyway. We all got to work rounding up help. We offered free surgery to fix all of their paws which were destroyed when they were declawed. We offered free, new larger cages, enrichment items. We also offered to place them if needed.

Dorrie then out of nowhere replied on the phone she had an agreement to give them to a big cat "sanctuary" in SoCal. She was going to leave money to care for them. This other sanctuary is also a breeder, dealer. They can't afford to take sanctuary animals. They can barely care for the few they have. It costs a lot of money to care for 22 big cats. If she had a place for them, why did she tell me she didn't know what she was going to do?

Dorrie refused all help and that is how we left it. Since then every now and then someone will attack me on one of the videos of the limping lynx I took at Dorrie's house. Seems Dorrie made up a bunch of lies saying we paid for our visit with a credit card with zero balance, totally false. She then said she sent us a cease and desist letter. She said she called the cops on us. She said the cops told us to leave her alone. None of those things happened. I never heard from her again.

UPDATE: Last week 12/2015 someone allegedly by the name of Jenny Walsh who is a salesperson at Kohls started posting crap on my videos. She told me all the shit Dorrie allegedly said about me or us or whomever. She also said she reported MY videos for copyright violation. I took the video with video permission. I own the video. I am only person who can make a copyright complaint. Then she said she reported me for sharing private information. I never posted the name of the woman or her breeding permit information. YouTube said I didn't violate any TOS agreement. They dismissed her ridiculous complaints.

One post by Jenny asked for a copy of the official complaint sent to the USDA and California Department of Fish & Game. Jenny said "if it's public, why don't you post it?" Okay, here it is. I will now share this public information about Dorrie Walsh of the Lynx Lair who illegally declawed some of her big cats.

Dorrie breeds "funny cats" which are as per Dorrie mix between Canadian and Siberian lynx. The resultant cat is therefore no longer a "wild," "protected" or "threatened" animal. This is how she gets around the breeding, selling regulations. She breeds them to sell to zoos and other private individuals.

Below is public information about Dorrie Walsh of the Lynx Lair who was/is a "lynx" breeder, dealer in California. She never had an exhibit permit ever yet she exhibited her cats to the public.

BREEDER CA 1861 93-A-0106 Dorrie L Walsh The Lynx Lair 1/24/2003

If you search USDA, it shows that she never had a license. She did have a license but they since removed all records of her license. They can't allow someone who illegally declawed cats to have a license.

In the meantime Dorrie says she still has all her cats as of 12/12/2015. Is she operating without a license? Is she fibbing? If you look at Bat W*rld S@nctuary they also show up as never having a license when their permit was cancelled in 2011.

Dorrie is also a dog groomer in Tehachapi. She drives a red Hummer and her license plate has the name "Lynx" in it because she believes she is a lynx lady. Her only identity in this world is as the "Lynx Lady." She takes her most arthritic lynx to work with her when she was grooming. There are many photos which she gives to people of her lynx sitting on her car, in a holiday hat.... Dorrie put all that information out there.

I will be posting the full reports from all of us tomorrow. There were a few wildlife experts and even a lawyer in the group. Everything was coordinated by a lawyer and the production companies. When I presented to ALDF I spoke with the main person in charge of big cats in California for the Federal Dept of Fish & Wildlife Services and Attorney General for California. She agreed it was a major violation.

I later learned that the big cat rescue that she said would take her cats was actually dumping more aggressive lynx on her! Dorrie kept one in a very small cage because he said he was so violent. Who would dump an aggressive lynx on an old lady with health issues? When Dorrie dies they'll take her money and most likely euth her cats.

The below photos were given to me by Dorrie (Doris Louise Burrati Walsh February 3, 1939) who told me to share them any way I like. I am using them for non-profit comment under the fair use of copyright act.

Dorrie Walsh, Doris Louise Burrati Walsh, lynx lady, tehachapi, lynx lair, usda, permit, declaw, breeding, selling, dealing,

Below is the public address for "Lynx Lair." You see the house with a brown roof. Then you see cages covered in green tarp. That is where 22 cats lived, live.

Dorrie Walsh, Doris Louise Burrati Walsh, lynx lady, tehachapi, lynx lair, usda, permit, declaw, breeding, selling, dealing

Here is one of the complaints to USDA and DFG. I think USDA, DFG felt bad for her because she was so old. She would act like a sweet old lady until she started telling you the horrible things she did to the mothers and cubs. Then it was frightening. Her husband Leonard Patrick Walsh was also dying at the time. He was ex-police. He's since dead. This is why we only offered to help her. Then she started spreading outrageous lies about us.

Official complaint to CADFG and USDA
(address)
Subject of complaint:
Dorrie and Pat Walsh
The Lynx Lair
USDA 93-A-0106 Cust # 1861
Facility address: 18080 Tejon Dr
Tehachapi, CA 93561
home 661 822 5616
Work Address: 20733 South St. A,
Tehachapi, CA 93561
work 661 822 6704

In 2007 I received a report of animal abuse regarding large exotic cats owned by Dorrie Walsh
of the Lynx Lair. The report came from some of her neighbors. They told me she was keeping
large cats in small cages. I was told Dorrie gave tours in exchange for cash. I asked Dorrie for
a tour and was accompanied by her neighbor. I asked for permission to take photos and Dorrie
said “yes.”

I saw approximately 22 adult large exotic cats and three lynx kittens that day. I saw Eurasian
lynx, Canadian lynx, bobcats and threatened fishing cats. They were all declawed except the
kittens. Some were limping, could barely walk, others were pacing from boredom or growling,
lunging.

None of the cats had toys or enrichment. She told us it was a hassle to clean up. They only
had plastic children furniture and an igloo in their enclosures. The fishing cats only had one
small water bowl, no water feature.

All of the cages were maybe six feet tall maximum when DFG code states they must be at
least eight feet tall. The enclosures each contained two cats when the females were not pregnant.
If the female was pregnant, she cut the cage in half to separate male and female of each
pair. The cages were not large enough. Not all enclosure areas had double doors.
Dorrie told me she had all of them declawed. I asked her "isn't it illegal to declaw big cats
nowadays?"* She said it is illegal but she does it anyway.

Dorrie then showed us and let us play with three lynx kittens. She told me they will be declawed.
One was going to a local zoo. She also let us pet and take photographs with her Eurasian
lynx.

While I was there Dorrie told me that she broke her hip while working with a bobcat the previous
year. She also admitted to being bitten many times. She showed us her scars.
I asked her what she will do when she gets older. She said her kids didn't want the cats so she
didn't know what she would do.

(I gave her a $100 bill as I left)

January 2011 some friends of mine wanted to see Dorrie's cats. They said they could help
place her cats, help her with caging and enrichment for the cats. I called up Dorrie and asked
for another tour. January 17, 2011 we all paid her a visit. I asked her if we could take photographs
and videotape. She said “yes.” We videotaped our tour.

This time there were only 22 big exotic cats. The two endangered fishing cats had died, so had
others. In the meantime she's taken in three new cats in the last two years. All of her cages
were full. All of these new cats had been declawed within the last three years. Dorrie admitted
she had declawed these cats against the law.

We witnessed the larger cats limping, having problems walking. They were laying on their
sides on the ground. The two Eurasian lynx could no longer climb up or jump. Their igloos
were on the ground. There were no ramps or cat walk for them.

Two smaller lynx were constantly pacing. They'd worn out the floor where they paced. Others
were growling, lunging at Dorrie and us through their cages. One Eurasian lynx was trying to
bite Dorrie. Dorrie told us she was bitten a day earlier and showed us the wound.

We asked Dorrie again what she will do when she can no longer care for the cats. She is 72
years old with medical conditions. Her husband is dying. She told us she stopped breeding
them this year. She said the Cat House in Rosamond agreed to take all of the cats.

Violations witnessed.

1. The cages are too short. They are maximum 6' tall when they should be at least 8' tall.
2. The cages are too small.*
3. There are no toys or enrichment.
4. Animals are showing aggressive and neurotic behavior.
5. Dorrie has a permit to breed only from the USDA. She's been exhibiting them for years without
an exhibitor permit. She's even taken them to the Cat House to give a public presentation
walking her Eurasian lynx on a leash. She lets people hold and pet them besides take photos
with them.
6. Dorrie has a permit to possess and breed only from the CADFG. She's been exhibiting them
for years without an exhibitor permit. They are not being exhibited in a safe manner.
7. Dorrie never had DFG permits for a caracal or the fishing cats. She only has permits for
Eurasian and Canadian lynx, and bobcats.
8. Dorrie has buried all of the cats that have died in the last 35 years on her residential property.
Animals may only be buried in Cemetery zones after being properly prepared for health
reasons.
9. Dorrie declawed some of the cats after the 2005 and 2006 declaw ban. She declawed at
least eight of the cats after the ban that we know of.
10. Dorrie's vet must inspect her facility every year and sign off on her USDA permit. Her vet
did not note the illegal declaws or lameness. We believe her vet may have done the surgeries.
Page 2
11. Dorrie lied to her medical doctor every time she was bitten by her cats. She told them she’d
merely fallen.
12. Dorrie can no longer safely care for these big cats. It is a threat to her safety and that of the
public.
13. Dorrie does not have a kennel permit with Kern County Animal Control.

*CADFG minimum caging requirements for Eurasian lynx 200 sq.ft, 8’ tall, Canadian lynx/
Bobcat 80 sq.ft. for one, 120 sq.ft. for two, 8’ tall.
**It's been illegal to declaw big cats in California since January 2005. It's been illegal for USDA
permittees to declaw any animal since 2006. If a USDA permittee is found to have declawed a
big cat after these dates, they would lose their USDA permit.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Mary Cummins
President
Animal Advocates
http://www.AnimalAdvocates.us
Rio Hondo Police Academy
San Diego Humane Academy
CADFG permitted wildlife rehabilitator
IWRC, CCWR, NWRA, EARS, HSUS NDART team"

This was one complaint I sent. Others in our group sent more. So did our veterinarians. They offered to help with the cats. Dorrie refused.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

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Monday, February 14, 2011

Brenda Barnette first six months by the numbers, Los Angeles Animal Services

Some have been singing Brenda Barnette's praises since she arrived. Some are saying things are much better. I thought I'd take a look at the numbers to see what's really happening at Los Angeles Animal Services.

Animals given to New Hope partners has increased. Things seem to have gotten worse in all the other categories. Most seems to be due to the increase in animals being dumped at the shelter. Most of this is due to kittens. I'm only looking at cats and dogs combined. I'm comparing Barnette's first six months (August through the end of January) to the same six months the previous year.

Adoptions are down by 986 animals (-8%), 11,799 verses 12,785.

Animals given to New Hope partners (non-profit animal rescue groups that work with the City) is up a whopping 1,162 (+40%), 4,080 verses 2,918. This is a great improvement, kudos. Unfortunately it's the only improvement based on the numbers.

Animals returned to owners is up 129 (+5%), 2,842 verses 2,743. This is due to the increase in intake. As a percentage of intake 10.54% of animals were returned to their owners in the last six months compared to 10.88% compared to last six months from previous year. The difference is actually negligible.

Animals released has increased by 166 (+35%), 633 verses 467. I've never really understood this category but I still count it as an animal released alive.

Animals that died on their own is down 23 (-6%), 368 verses 375. As a percentage of intake it's the same at 1.3% verses 1.4% year previous.

Animals that were dead on arrival (DOA) at intake increased by 62 (+8%), 827 verses 765. As a percentage of intake it's the same at 3% verses 3%.

Animals that escaped is up by 26 (+92%), 54 verses 28. The numbers involved are negligible but still something to look at.

Animals that were euthanized is up 1,189 (+13%), 10,204 verses 9,015. As a percentage of intake it's 37% verses 36% year previous. Not that much of a difference especially when you consider the increase in intake and fewer adoptions to the public.

Animals leaving the shelter alive is up 476 (+2.5%), 19,408 verses 18,941. As a percentage of intake it is actually down, 72% verses 75%. Barnette's goal is to have 85% of the animals leaving alive within the next five years. If our economy improves and we can do something about all the kittens, I see that happening.

Animals leaving the shelter dead is up 1,244 or (+12%), 11,399 verses 10,155. As a percentage of intake it's 42% verses 40% previous year. As a percentage fewer animals leaving alive, more leaving dead. (Animals leaving dead as % + animals leaving alive as % do not = 100% animals taken in during that time period. It seems more animals left the shelter dead and alive than were taken in. This could be because of the timing of baby season. This also means they are keeping higher numbers in the shelter.)

Animals that were brought into the shelters is up by 1,758 (+7%), 26,956 verses 25,198. This is the real problem. In the past five years animal intake is up 9,545 (+20%), 55,780 verses 46,235 (annual intake last 12 months). Intake had been going down for years until the recession hit. It's been going up ever since. Adoptions were increasing until 2009 when we seem to have hit a wall.

Now to look at an always troubling category, kittens. Neonate kitten intake is up 662 (+22%) over the six months year prior. Kitten intake accounted for 38% of the increase in total cat/dog intake. Neonate kitten euth is caused by people not spaying and neutering their own cats or unowned feral cats. People lie when they dump the kittens saying they are strays so they don't have to pay a fee. You can't really tell where they are coming from.

Kitten euth is up 910 (+47%) over the six months year prior. Almost all (+76%) of the increase in total cat/dog euthanasia is attributed to kitten euth, 910 kittens euth'd verses 1,189 total cats/dogs euth'd.

One problem with neonate kittens is that they legally cannot be adopted out until they are eight weeks old. If they are under eight weeks old, they must be adopted out with a mom cat and all the other siblings or through the foster bottle baby program. Because there are so many kittens eight weeks and older, people would rather not adopt an entire family (very expensive) or bottle feed a baby (time consuming). If you can't feed the neonate kitten or adopt it out, you are forced to euth it which is better than letting it starve to death.

I volunteered at the shelter for many years. We'd call five week old kittens eight weeks if they could eat wet food. We'd put solo nursing babies in with a mom cat with other babies. I'm sure the shelter is doing this already.

I believe some of the increase in adult cat/dog intake and euth is caused by our horrible economy i.e., job losses, foreclosures, people being forced to move from homes into smaller rentals that don't allow pets, people doubling up in homes and people who can't afford to spay or neuter their pets. Obviously Barnette did not cause our horrible economy. Still, it's a challenge she must face.

I think she's done a great job increasing New Hope adoptions. I don't know if she recruited more New Hope partners or just found a way to get them to take more animals. Whatever the cause, whoever deserves credit, kudos. Kudos to the actual New Hope partners as well. That's the only real improvement by the numbers. Without that improvement, things would be much worse.

Adoptions to the public are down but I'd venture to say it's because of the economy. One way to increase adoptions is to find a new source of adopters. Go after people who generally buy cats and dogs from pet stores or breeders.

The biggest problem in the shelter right now is kittens. The only way to deal with it is more spay and neuter targeted toward cats, owned and unowned. It should be cheap or free and targeted to lower income areas. Maybe a little enforcement of the mandatory spay and neuter law would help. All of these suggestions are easier said than done.

For the record I am not saying that Barnette caused the problems in the shelter today. These are just challenges she will have to conquer.

A closing note, if you see a pregnant cat or dog, get it spayed. If your friend has a pregnant cat or dog, tell them to get it spayed. Otherwise those babies will most likely end up in the shelter, dead. You can spay, neuter cats and puppies at eight weeks of age. It's easier on them and cheaper for you. They do not need to go into heat or have a litter before being spayed or neutered. Don't forget about bunnies!

Here are some fantastic charts by Sheltertrak.
http://www.sheltertrak.com/stat_laas002.php

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Raccoon rescue from tiny cage in a boat - Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates

Rescuing a raccoon from a tiny, dirty cage in a boat

by Mary Cummins on Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 3:59pm

Raccoon in his tiny dirty cage. Four year old male not neutered. He was kept in this cage for four years on a boat by a mentally ill person. He only ate dry cat food. He broke his teeth chewing on his cage. They put a chain around his neck, don't know why. We removed it.

I received an email this morning from Peter Wallerstein of Marine Animal Rescue. He said the Los Angeles County Sheriff had impounded a boat that had a raccoon in it in a tiny dirty cage. I assumed someone had trapped a raccoon and just forgot about it. I drove to the Sheriff station to take a look at the boat. Peter agreed to meet me there to help.

Raccoon rescue, Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California

The raccoon lived in that 2' x 2' x 2' cage. The cage door didn't open. When we finally took off the front of the cage we realized he was living on top of four inches of feces. He had no water. The boat was impounded. Sheriff called me when they saw the raccoon.

I met Sheriff Office McSchwab who told me about the raccoon. He said it wasn't in a trap but a cage like a pet. It had a chain around its neck. He took me to the boat to take a look. This is what I found. A four year old male raccoon in a 2' x 2' x 2' cage. There were four inches of feces on the bottom of the cage and no water. There was no door as it looked like the owner never opened the cage. The cage was in an awkward spot and had been assembled in the boat which would make transfer to the carrier more difficult. Fortunately Peter Wallerstein showed up to help. Unfortunately so did the "owner" of the raccoon.

We had to take the cage apart to get the front off. Then we placed the carrier in the cage with the door off. I wedged the carrier over the raccoon and pressed it against the back wall. Peter and the Sheriff then replaced the carrier door on the other side. The raccoon was in the carrier. We went inside to wash up.

As I went to get my car to drive it around to the dock to pick up the raccoon the owner started following me. He's an older man whom I believe is mentally ill. He said "why did you put the raccoon in that small box when I had him in a big cage?" I ignored him and went to pick up the raccoon.

Because he was a pet raccoon and could be unpredictable I thought I'd take him to Dr. Kenneth Jones in Santa Monica to get the chain off his neck and look him over. The raccoon had shown no aggression at all, just a little cage craziness. I gave him some water out of a sippy bottle because he looked dehydrated. He was very gentle and thirsty.

Raccoon rescue, Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California

At Dr. Kenneth Jones giving the raccoon anesthesia. We wrapped the pet carrier in a plastic bag. This is the safest way.

Dr. Jones' staff gave the raccoon anesthesia so we could examine him. The easiest way to anesthetize an animal like this is to wrap the carrier in a big trash bag then use gas. After he was under they removed the chain. He had a cracked canine probably from chewing on the bars of his cage. He had some matts and was dirty and smelly.

This is his new enclosure, 6' x 6' x 4'. It has a padded cage and is smaller than my other enclosures. He's never climbed or walked before so I need to start him in something small.

UPDATE: I just added a ramp in his cage. He cannot climb at all

I took him home and put him in a 6' x 6' x 4' cage with a padded floor. He came out of his carrier then I realized he couldn't really walk. He walks on the back of the "wrists" on his forelegs and on the heels of his back feet. I don't think he's ever stood up all the way. He cannot climb at all. He was relaxed and sweet. I can easily hand feed him food. I had to add a ramp to his cage so he can get to the lower level. I have him next to the baby raccoons so he won't feel threatened by my injured adult females. He is a bit smaller than my adult females, probably from malnutrition.

This is how he walks. He walks on the back side of his wrists. He also sleeps with them in this position. Obviously some metabolic bone disease. The pads of his feet look fine.

Thanks to the Los Angeles County Sheriff http://www.lasd.org/ and Peter Wallerstein of Marine Animal Rescuehttp://www.marspecialists.org/ I wouldn't have been able to rescue the raccoon without their help. I will add updates on his progress.

UPDATE: A member of Animal Advocates is now caring for "Harbor" the boat raccoon. He's making remarkable progress under her cage. Here he is today, January 20, 2011. Look how healthy and happy he is? This video will make you soooo happy!