Roy Exum: A Horror Story Gets Worse

  • Wednesday, April 22, 2015
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

When a farm in Giles County, Tn., was raided by the sheriff’s department and animal welfare officials last week, word soon leaked out that a herd of 55 emaciated Tennessee Walking Horses and seven starved goats had allegedly been “left for dead” by a known horse abuser named Jeffery Alan Mitchell. It was a ghastly scene, some horses standing, or unable to stand, in up to a foot of mud, feces, urine and rotten hay.

The animals hadn’t been fed in days, if not weeks, and several of the horses are still in very guarded condition at three different rescue shelters.

Now it has been learned that nobody mentioned the dogs. It seems on Saturday the Giles County sheriff, with no available county resources for canine abuse, reached out to a rescue shelter – that must remain unnamed for security purposes – and responders found 17 border collies in horrendous conditions.

 It is believed the dogs were somewhat of a “cottage industry” for Mitchell and the rescue team found the animals in squalid surroundings, much like the horses that were confiscated. It has not been learned if the sheriff’s office will add additional animal abuse charges.

“We went because the county had no resources,” wrote a spokesperson on her blog. “We intended to give advice if it was needed but once we saw the dogs, there was no question we were going to take them. Some had open wounds, embedded filth was petrified, but the dogs were curious and friendly just to hope they got out of the muck.”

The blog said they loaded one dog into a van “and she immediately went into labor. She delivered the first pup in a crate, much to our consternation. Many of the females were (are) very pregnant. Some of the dogs have defects caused by breeding blue merles to blue merles.”

Now for a lesson about dogs. Merles is “a skin thing” in a dog. According to Wikipedia, “The merle gene creates mottled patches of color in a solid or piebald coat, blue or odd-colored eyes, and can affect skin pigment as well.”

To take it a step further, “Health issues are more typical and more severe when two merles are bred together, so it is recommended that a merle be bred to a dog with a solid coat color only.”

To whit, again from Wikipedia: “If two such dogs are mated, on the average one quarter of the puppies will be "double merles", which is the common term for dogs homozygous for merle, and a high percentage of these double merle puppies could have eye defects and/or be deaf. Knowledgeable breeders who want to produce merle puppies mate a merle with a non-merle dog; roughly half the puppies will be merles without the risk of vision or hearing defects associated with double merle dogs.”

Several dogs that were rescued in the Giles County raid are already blind. It is feared that as the pregnant females soon whelp their litters, the results of breeding blue merles-to-blue merles will be devastating but it is alleged that a merle border collie is worth more than a solid colored dog.

Mitchell, who has been charged with animal abuse two times before and has had animals confiscated from his farm prior to Saturday, also has a colorful history of violating the federal Horse Protection Act. He has received at least four citations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture after inspectors have found evidence of soring and “Mark Mitchell” at the same address has been issued seven reprimands involving three horses that Jeffery was also caught and ticketed.

One member of the dog rescue team said Mitchell "was threatening to end his life because we were taking his ‘babies.’ He cannot see the reality of their condition and he needs to never own another animal as long as he lives.”

“All of the dogs we rescued will survive. Some of the horses have not been so lucky. I struggle with these cases because I am so angry at the condition they are in but it is clear the people are not sane,” the note read. “The man who did this is prosperous and he is a pharmacist. This is not some back-woods poor person collecting animals.”

It gets even worse. “(The rescue shelters) are left to pick up the pieces and, as usual, this is going to be expensive. We need donations and supplies and foster homes in the middle Tennessee area,” the source revealed, saying undisclosed shelter does not have the facilities, the food or the upkeep for the animals until they can be adopted.

That is why there is now an urgent appeal for funding, materials, and volunteers. There are three shelters for horses being utilized for the Mitchell herd in Tennessee. All three need money for necessary veterinarian, husbandry, and food costs, as almost every mare that was confiscated is pregnant. (Note: All three have 501c3 status so gifts are tax-deductible.)

The three horse shelters are:

-- HORSE HAVEN OF TENNESSEE – Contact Nina Margetson, Executive Director, at (865) 609-4030. Donations should be mailed to Post Office Box 22841, Knoxville, TN 37933. Those interested in adoption procedures or needing more information can go to the website: www.horsehaventn.org

-- SAFE HARBOR EQUINE & LIVESTOCK SANCTUARY – Contact Sariah Hopkins, Executive Director, at (615) 997-0697. Donations should be mailed to Post Office Box 22, Cottontown, TN 37048. Those interested in adoption procedures or needing more information can go to the website: www.safeharborsantuary.org

-- VOLUNTEER EQUINE ADVOCATES – Contact Jamie Clifton, Executive Director, at (615) 708-5607. Donations should be mailed to Post Office Box 112, Gallatin, TN 37066. Those interested in adoption procedures or needed more information can go to the website: www.veatnhorserescue.com

The 17 border collies are at a safe location. Donations, adoption inquiries, and questions should be mailed to BFDR, 2413 Unionville Rd, Chapel Hill TN  37034. Please include your email address for a faster reply. This is also a 501c3 organization and all gifts are tax deductible. Those who wish to donate designated supplies for the dogs should request a “needs list.”

royexum@aol.com

A rescue worker carries a border collie that was found in filth during a raid on a farm near Pulaski, Tn. last week. The dog was reportedly too weak to walk.
A rescue worker carries a border collie that was found in filth during a raid on a farm near Pulaski, Tn. last week. The dog was reportedly too weak to walk.
Opinion
Capitol Report From State Rep. Greg Vital For March 28
  • 3/28/2024

Budget becomes central focus in final weeks of 113th General Assembly Members of the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee this week were briefed by Finance and Administration Commissioner ... more

Senate Republican Caucus Weekly Wrap March 28
  • 3/28/2024

This week on Capitol Hill lawmakers were hard at work passing meaningful legislation to improve the lives of Tennesseans as the General Assembly begins to wind down. Public safety was a big focus ... more