Wolfdog Rescue Resources is hoppin....
some of you remember this worthless slime ball, i posted about him. me and several other local wolfdog folks have been on him for two years, and working with PW County ACO "under the cuff" to get him taken down... well..he's down.... the sick b@$#ard
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscribe to a newspaper.
SERVING MANASSAS AND MANASSAS PARK AREAS
Sun., June 5, 2005
Register | Login
Edit Profile | Logout
Wolf rescue founder convicted of cruelty
Maria Hegstad
Potomac News
Thursday, June 2, 2005
The founder of a Triangle wolf rescue admitted in court Wednesday that he kept more animals than he could care for and in inhumane conditions.
Robert Clifton Artois, 56, was convicted Wednesday of 29 counts of animal neglect in Prince William General District Court. Judge Peter W. Steketee also signed an order transferring Artois' dogs and wolf hybrids to the authority of animal control. The order also prohibits Artois from ever owning a domestic animal.
Artois was initially charged with one count of animal neglect in November 2004. At a December hearing, Steketee ordered animal control officers to inspect Artois' shelter weekly. Steketee continued the case until June 6, hoping Artois would comply and the charge could be dismissed.
Master Detective Samson Newsome and Animal Control Officer Lorie Shetley testified Wednesday that Artois admitted moving dogs and hiding them from the inspectors. Animal control was unaware Artois had more than twice the number of animals he was legally licensed to own at the three-acre 19325 Fuller Heights Road property where he had his home and shelter.
Artois never let the inspectors enter his home, Shetley and Newsome said. After Artois' hearing, Newsome said animal control officers never had enough evidence to get a search warrant for Artois' house. Artois' animals have been at the county animal shelter since animal control officers seized them April 18.
Cheryl Grenier testified that she called animal control after she realized she couldn't care for Artois' animals. Grenier said her family adopted two puppies from Artois, and they had helped Artois' Black Wolf Rescue for about two years. She said Artois called her April 14 from the Alexandria City Jail and told her his animals would need feeding until the next day.
With Artois' permission, Grenier's husband broke the locks on Artois' gate and front door to feed and water the dogs. As they entered, Grenier said she noticed "an extreme smell of ammonia, mice and dogs racing out the door to go outside."
Grenier said numerous animals were locked in small cages in the house, and several more were locked in cages in a shed outside. None of the animals had food or water, Grenier said. In the shed, she discovered a dead German shepherd. Grenier cared for the animals for three days. She tried to clean the inches-deep soiled newspaper in their cages, and had to use a water hose and a hoe to do so. On April 18, when Artois had not been released, she called animal control.
"I've never seen anything like it and I hope I never do again," Grenier said.
Animal Control Officer Shetley said they removed 11 wolf hybrids from Artois' property. They also removed the dead German shepherd and 18 dogs. Shetley said that ownership of a wolf hybrid required a federal permit, a county license, and a 100-square-foot enclosure with a tall fence.
"All 11 were in cages. Most were not even large enough for them to stand," Shetley said of finding Artois' animals April 18. "All of the cages were full of feces, urine, the majority had an inch to 6 inches of dog feces, and dog hair inside. Just to walk in, the smell of rodent feces was so strong you had to hold your breath. The mice were jumping and running and scratching in every room."
Shetley described three cocker spaniels with feces caked in their fur and feet. A male German shepherd had a large open sore on his back from rubbing against a cage too small for him, Shetley said.
Artois argued Wednesday that the animals were caged and hadn't been fed because he was unexpectedly jailed in Alexandria for nine days on a civil case.
Artois testified that he prepared for his court date in Alexandria the night before, giving his animals extra food and water. He said the only reason they were kenneled was because he was worried they would terrorize the house while he was in court. He put extra newspapers in their kennels. His attorney had warned him he might get jailed overnight, Artois said. When he was jailed for contempt of court, Artois said he called Grenier immediately.
"I didn't want them to die or anything. I called my attorney 30 times trying to get help for them. I begged these people to help me, and nobody would help me," Artois said, his voice breaking. "These animals weren't just animals. I call them my furries because they're part of my family."
Grenier said she found no food or water bowls in the animals' cages.
Virginia Department of Agriculture veterinarian Karl Magura described the necropsies, or animal autopsies, that he performed on the German shepherd and a cocker spaniel that died at the animal shelter April 19. The German shepherd weighed only half of what it could have, Magura said. The dog, Jedi, died of malnutrition. Magura said it could have been as long as a month since Jedi had eaten before his death. Magura said Rodney, the cocker spaniel, also died of malnutrition. Rodney did have some body fat, but hadn't eaten in the two weeks before his death, Magura said.
Dr. Allison Mayo, a veterinarian at Dale City Animal Hospital who volunteers services to the county animal shelter, said all of the animals were infected with parasites including hookworm and whipworm. Some of the parasites required at least three months to develop, suggesting they hadn't been treated for parasites for at least three months, Mayo testified. All the animals were infested with fleas, which Mayo said she suspected had been there since the previous year's flea season. All of the dogs were very thin and unkempt, and several had skin infections.
Mayo said one Labrador might never grow normal fur again. Another dog had an infected back, with dead skin tissue and open sores oozing pus. One of the cocker spaniels Mayo examined was pregnant. Shadow delivered her puppies at the county shelter. Several were born dead, Mayo said, and she suspected Shadow's untreated parasites had been their cause of death.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Sandra R. Sylvester cross-examined Artois about his animals' conditions. Artois admitted that he had called the conditions shown in pictures of his house as inhumane in an interview with Detective Newsome. Sylvester also asked if Artois had contacted Grenier, upset that she reported him to animal control.
"If she had waited 24 hours, I would have had it taken care of," Artois said.
Artois' attorney, Timothy Ward, argued that Artois shouldn't be convicted because there was no evidence of a criminal intent to neglect the animals. But Sylvester argued that Artois thwarted animal control's attempts to inspect his shelter by moving his animals to friends' homes to hide them from inspectors. Hiding the dogs showed criminal intent, Sylvester said.
"I'm satisfied that on each of these 29 counts each of these animals was in some desperate condition," Judge Steketee said. "Because of conditions you allowed to exist, two of these animals died."
Steketee ordered Artois jailed until sentencing July 12. When Steketee gave Artois pre-trial bond May 11, Artois disappeared. Authorities believed he might have run to North Carolina. In court last Friday, the day after his arrest for bond violations, Artois was arraigned on a charge of lying on his application for a court appointed attorney. The same morning, Artois appeared in Circuit Court on allegations that he violated his probation. Artois was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in 2003. The victim was a 15-year-old boy Artois met on the Internet, according to court documents. Artois' probation officer testified Friday that Artois missed his sex offender treatment appointment during the last week of May.
Probation officer Randi Evans also testified that Artois was not to use the Internet, and that his home computers showed extensive Internet use. Artois had a Web site for his shelter, Black Wolf Rescue. The Web site, http://www.blackwolf
rescue.com, showed pictures of Artois' animals and solicited donations for their upkeep. On July 14, a Circuit Court judge is scheduled to determine if Artois violated his probation.
Artois has 10 days to appeal his animal neglect convictions and the order removing his animals. Until the 10 days pass, animal control will not make any decisions regarding the animals' future, Detective Newsome said after the trial. Once the order is finalized, Newsome said officers will consider which animals are available for immediate adoption, and look at the health of the other dogs.
Newsome, the director of animal control, said he is considering placing the wolf hybrids in a sanctuary. Such an organization would have to be respected and approved by county animal control, Newsome said. But he added some of the hybrids might not be releasable even to a trained organization.
"The fact they're hybrids and because of the treatment and living conditions, there's an added unpredictability [to their behavior]," Newsome said.
Staff writer Maria Hegstad can be reached at (703) 369-6594.
..............................
some of the wolfdogs will end up at my friends place, Full Moon Farm (nancy brown..some of you met her at skyline in 2002). some will be going to a refuge in ohio if we can arrange it.
some of you remember this worthless slime ball, i posted about him. me and several other local wolfdog folks have been on him for two years, and working with PW County ACO "under the cuff" to get him taken down... well..he's down.... the sick b@$#ard
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscribe to a newspaper.
SERVING MANASSAS AND MANASSAS PARK AREAS
Sun., June 5, 2005
Register | Login
Edit Profile | Logout
Wolf rescue founder convicted of cruelty
Maria Hegstad
Potomac News
Thursday, June 2, 2005
The founder of a Triangle wolf rescue admitted in court Wednesday that he kept more animals than he could care for and in inhumane conditions.
Robert Clifton Artois, 56, was convicted Wednesday of 29 counts of animal neglect in Prince William General District Court. Judge Peter W. Steketee also signed an order transferring Artois' dogs and wolf hybrids to the authority of animal control. The order also prohibits Artois from ever owning a domestic animal.
Artois was initially charged with one count of animal neglect in November 2004. At a December hearing, Steketee ordered animal control officers to inspect Artois' shelter weekly. Steketee continued the case until June 6, hoping Artois would comply and the charge could be dismissed.
Master Detective Samson Newsome and Animal Control Officer Lorie Shetley testified Wednesday that Artois admitted moving dogs and hiding them from the inspectors. Animal control was unaware Artois had more than twice the number of animals he was legally licensed to own at the three-acre 19325 Fuller Heights Road property where he had his home and shelter.
Artois never let the inspectors enter his home, Shetley and Newsome said. After Artois' hearing, Newsome said animal control officers never had enough evidence to get a search warrant for Artois' house. Artois' animals have been at the county animal shelter since animal control officers seized them April 18.
Cheryl Grenier testified that she called animal control after she realized she couldn't care for Artois' animals. Grenier said her family adopted two puppies from Artois, and they had helped Artois' Black Wolf Rescue for about two years. She said Artois called her April 14 from the Alexandria City Jail and told her his animals would need feeding until the next day.
With Artois' permission, Grenier's husband broke the locks on Artois' gate and front door to feed and water the dogs. As they entered, Grenier said she noticed "an extreme smell of ammonia, mice and dogs racing out the door to go outside."
Grenier said numerous animals were locked in small cages in the house, and several more were locked in cages in a shed outside. None of the animals had food or water, Grenier said. In the shed, she discovered a dead German shepherd. Grenier cared for the animals for three days. She tried to clean the inches-deep soiled newspaper in their cages, and had to use a water hose and a hoe to do so. On April 18, when Artois had not been released, she called animal control.
"I've never seen anything like it and I hope I never do again," Grenier said.
Animal Control Officer Shetley said they removed 11 wolf hybrids from Artois' property. They also removed the dead German shepherd and 18 dogs. Shetley said that ownership of a wolf hybrid required a federal permit, a county license, and a 100-square-foot enclosure with a tall fence.
"All 11 were in cages. Most were not even large enough for them to stand," Shetley said of finding Artois' animals April 18. "All of the cages were full of feces, urine, the majority had an inch to 6 inches of dog feces, and dog hair inside. Just to walk in, the smell of rodent feces was so strong you had to hold your breath. The mice were jumping and running and scratching in every room."
Shetley described three cocker spaniels with feces caked in their fur and feet. A male German shepherd had a large open sore on his back from rubbing against a cage too small for him, Shetley said.
Artois argued Wednesday that the animals were caged and hadn't been fed because he was unexpectedly jailed in Alexandria for nine days on a civil case.
Artois testified that he prepared for his court date in Alexandria the night before, giving his animals extra food and water. He said the only reason they were kenneled was because he was worried they would terrorize the house while he was in court. He put extra newspapers in their kennels. His attorney had warned him he might get jailed overnight, Artois said. When he was jailed for contempt of court, Artois said he called Grenier immediately.
"I didn't want them to die or anything. I called my attorney 30 times trying to get help for them. I begged these people to help me, and nobody would help me," Artois said, his voice breaking. "These animals weren't just animals. I call them my furries because they're part of my family."
Grenier said she found no food or water bowls in the animals' cages.
Virginia Department of Agriculture veterinarian Karl Magura described the necropsies, or animal autopsies, that he performed on the German shepherd and a cocker spaniel that died at the animal shelter April 19. The German shepherd weighed only half of what it could have, Magura said. The dog, Jedi, died of malnutrition. Magura said it could have been as long as a month since Jedi had eaten before his death. Magura said Rodney, the cocker spaniel, also died of malnutrition. Rodney did have some body fat, but hadn't eaten in the two weeks before his death, Magura said.
Dr. Allison Mayo, a veterinarian at Dale City Animal Hospital who volunteers services to the county animal shelter, said all of the animals were infected with parasites including hookworm and whipworm. Some of the parasites required at least three months to develop, suggesting they hadn't been treated for parasites for at least three months, Mayo testified. All the animals were infested with fleas, which Mayo said she suspected had been there since the previous year's flea season. All of the dogs were very thin and unkempt, and several had skin infections.
Mayo said one Labrador might never grow normal fur again. Another dog had an infected back, with dead skin tissue and open sores oozing pus. One of the cocker spaniels Mayo examined was pregnant. Shadow delivered her puppies at the county shelter. Several were born dead, Mayo said, and she suspected Shadow's untreated parasites had been their cause of death.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Sandra R. Sylvester cross-examined Artois about his animals' conditions. Artois admitted that he had called the conditions shown in pictures of his house as inhumane in an interview with Detective Newsome. Sylvester also asked if Artois had contacted Grenier, upset that she reported him to animal control.
"If she had waited 24 hours, I would have had it taken care of," Artois said.
Artois' attorney, Timothy Ward, argued that Artois shouldn't be convicted because there was no evidence of a criminal intent to neglect the animals. But Sylvester argued that Artois thwarted animal control's attempts to inspect his shelter by moving his animals to friends' homes to hide them from inspectors. Hiding the dogs showed criminal intent, Sylvester said.
"I'm satisfied that on each of these 29 counts each of these animals was in some desperate condition," Judge Steketee said. "Because of conditions you allowed to exist, two of these animals died."
Steketee ordered Artois jailed until sentencing July 12. When Steketee gave Artois pre-trial bond May 11, Artois disappeared. Authorities believed he might have run to North Carolina. In court last Friday, the day after his arrest for bond violations, Artois was arraigned on a charge of lying on his application for a court appointed attorney. The same morning, Artois appeared in Circuit Court on allegations that he violated his probation. Artois was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in 2003. The victim was a 15-year-old boy Artois met on the Internet, according to court documents. Artois' probation officer testified Friday that Artois missed his sex offender treatment appointment during the last week of May.
Probation officer Randi Evans also testified that Artois was not to use the Internet, and that his home computers showed extensive Internet use. Artois had a Web site for his shelter, Black Wolf Rescue. The Web site, http://www.blackwolf
rescue.com, showed pictures of Artois' animals and solicited donations for their upkeep. On July 14, a Circuit Court judge is scheduled to determine if Artois violated his probation.
Artois has 10 days to appeal his animal neglect convictions and the order removing his animals. Until the 10 days pass, animal control will not make any decisions regarding the animals' future, Detective Newsome said after the trial. Once the order is finalized, Newsome said officers will consider which animals are available for immediate adoption, and look at the health of the other dogs.
Newsome, the director of animal control, said he is considering placing the wolf hybrids in a sanctuary. Such an organization would have to be respected and approved by county animal control, Newsome said. But he added some of the hybrids might not be releasable even to a trained organization.
"The fact they're hybrids and because of the treatment and living conditions, there's an added unpredictability [to their behavior]," Newsome said.
Staff writer Maria Hegstad can be reached at (703) 369-6594.
..............................
some of the wolfdogs will end up at my friends place, Full Moon Farm (nancy brown..some of you met her at skyline in 2002). some will be going to a refuge in ohio if we can arrange it.
What a slime ball! And all those poor neglected animals.......why do people do this anyway? I guess the answer is money in some cases. This guy is really the pits!
Comment