Notorious puppy miller sentenced

UNDATED, Va. - The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is expressing its gratitude that convicted puppy mill operator Lanzie "Junior" Horton has been ordered to not own or operated a dog kennel in Virginia. Horton was found guilty Friday on two counts of Animal Neglect and other charges.

Horton was charged under Virginia's new puppy mill law. According to the HSUS, this is Horton's second conviction for animal related neglect charges since 2007. He's been previously convicted of 25 counts of neglect and 14 counts of cruelty.

"The Humane Society of the United States is grateful to the court for its ruling that prevents Junior Horton from ever operating a puppy mill in this state again," said Stephanie Shain, Senior Director of the Puppy Mills campaign for The HSUS. "Unfortunately, since there are still many states that do not currently have legislation against abusive puppy mills, Mr. Horton may simply move his operation elsewhere. We caution neighboring states to be watchful, and urge them to implement strong puppy mill laws like Virginia's."

The law went into effect on January 1, 2009. The law now limits the number of breeding dogs permitted at a large-scale dog production facility to no more than 50, and requires female dogs to be examined by a veterinarian prior to breeding, among other improvements, according to the HSUS.

Horton's property was randomly inspected in January 2009. During the inspection, the HSUS says numerous violations of the law and resulted in charges were uncovered. The charges included multiple counts of neglect, harboring too many adult dogs and failing to maintain adequate health records, said the HSUS.

Puppy mills are mass dog producing facilities that keep animals in cages or kennels, often in squalid conditions with little or no exercise, socialization or human interaction for years on end. To learn more about puppy mills, visit humanesociety.org/puppymills.

Below is a timeline issued by the HSUS of the events leading up to Horton's conviction:

• January 2009: an animal control officer and a representative of the Virginia state veterinarian's office conducted an unannounced inspection of Horton's property. They once again found numerous alleged violations and charged Horton and his alleged associate, Donald Frazier, with multiple counts of neglect, harboring too many adult dogs and failing to maintain adequate health records.
• April 2008: Virginia passed legislation that strengthened protections for dogs in abusive puppy mills. The new law sets specific age standards for breeding, requires annual certification for each dog by a licensed veterinarian, and limits the number of adult dogs kept at one time to no more than 50 dogs, and includes other very basic care standards.
• November 2007: Soon after the investigation was released, The HSUS, along with local animal welfare groups, assisted as law enforcement authorities raided Horton's Pups puppy mill and removed more than 700 dogs from deplorable conditions. Horton was charged and convicted of 14 counts of animal cruelty in 2008, but was allowed to keep a maximum of 250 dogs. The conviction was appealed twice and was upheld both times.
• November 2007: The HSUS released a five month investigation of Virginia's underground puppy mill industry, including footage of "Horton’s Pups," a large-scale, abusive puppy mill with more than 1,000 dogs. The mill was owned and operated by Lanzie "Junior" Horton in Hillsville, Va.