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