Just another reason to make today and everyday "hug your fur kid" day...
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Tiger Ranch Tragedy
Oh, we are so sad to learn in a Philly inquirer article today about the awfulness and inhumane conditions at the Pittsburgh based Tiger Ranch animal shelter. So many kitties were brought there because people thought it was a a safe "no-kill" shelter but it turns out the conditions were so bad that many kitties got very sick and/or died from the awful environment. The PSPCA is requesting donations of newspaper and pet carriers — including rabbit-size carriers and medium-size dog crates — for housing the surviving cats. It is asking that donations be dropped off at the Clarion County Humane Society in Shippenville, Pennsylvania. Please, if you live near there, can you donate some newsapers or pet carriers??
Just another reason to make today and everyday "hug your fur kid" day...
Just another reason to make today and everyday "hug your fur kid" day...
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12 comments:
I think the second photo of you and mommy is very very funny~!
You are like want to be free or you are like rubbing very hard on your mommy's face, very very cute~~~~
WELL~~
Happy Monday to you, Ollie~!!!!
Treasure everyday we spend to each other :)
So very sad. :( We will pray for all the animals affected.
Very sweet photos of you and your mom.
oh no, now mommie is gonna hug and kiss me agin!
dats a nice mommie hug dere
What a sad and terrible story. I guess the only good thing is that this has been brought to light so the cats can be properly looked after now.
I live very near the Tiger Ranch and I can tell you that this woman is a saint. I am positive that the reason that there were so many sick cats is because she would NEVER turn a cat away, People far and near would simply drop them off - she works a full time job - and she would come home to this. The truly horrible thing? She was frequently inspected by the Humane Society - who never found any problems. If this was getting to be more than she and her volunteers could handle - why did they launch a "sting" operation instead of offering to help her?? Cats at other shelters who were scheduled to be euthanized were brought to her by the shelter workers! This place was wide open - anyone could come in at any time.
I came to know of her from a friend who adopted a cat from the Ranch. All this woman asked was $25 to cover the cost of neutering the cat. I took 3 kittens that my daughter (while a student at Slippery Rock) found in a box alonside Rt.173 to the Tiger Ranch. Linda put on a pair of latex gloves, immediately immunized them and put them in a quarantine house. I tried to give her 100 - which she refused. She told me that she didn't accept money, but that she would appreciate a donation of food or kitty litter - which I gladly did. She also asked that my daughter try to find the mama cat and bring her to the Ranch so that she could be spayed. I later found out that my vet visited the Ranch once or twice a week, and he was the one who performed the spay/neutering operations basically at his cost.
I am so sorry that this is so long, but I am very angry at how she is being portrayed. My best friend lives adjacent to the ranch and believe me - there is no horrifying odor or anything even approximating it. The times I have been there the cats were obviously well-cared for.
So, to summarize - she did a wonderful, loving service purely out of love for animals - and what is her reward? She is locked up in jail - $50,000 straight cash bond, she is not permitted to return to her home because there are still feral cats wandering around (not to mention people are STILL dropping them off!), her dogs, horses and personal cats are confiscated, she is facing serious jail time, not to mention the tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Nice, huh?
I want you to know that she is not a friend of mine, nor a relative. I honestly don't know her. I do know that this is breaking my heart.
Hello, My name is Jeff. I'm from Boardman Ohio. Last fall, I called Linda an asked her if she had room at her shelter for the 5 kittens an 3 cats that I found abandoned at a warehouse where I worked part time. I "personalily" inspected the Tiger Ranch shelter myself. I had the cats for approx 7 weeks till I found linda's place to take them. She was a very sweet women who truely cared for animals. I offered to give her 80 dollars to help pay for what ever she needed to get the cats/kittens fixed. She refused to take that much money for the furballs. She stated that she would only take $5 per cat/kitten. I really became attached to two of the kittens. I called 2 days later an she informed me that the one's that I wanted back were already adopted out. She stated to me that if for whatever reason the people who adopted the kittens changed there mind,she would call me back to let me know. She did call back later in the week. Mind you, its a long distance call to Boardman Ohio from PA. She did not have to call me at all, none the less she did call me back to let me know that the people who adopted the kittens that I wanted back were very good people an to let me know that they went to good homes an not to worry. It's a shame the media portrays this women to be a terrible person! I sincerely believe Linda just got in over her head on managing so many animals at her ranch, that it just got out of hand to the point of no return. On another note, to state that they found dead cat's/kittens in freezers on the property. Did they not stop to think that the ground is still frozen at this time. It would have been extreamely hard to bury them in frozen turf. Hell, at least she didnt just throw them in s dumpster as most people probly would have. I only hope that when the true does come out, The media will respond with an appology to this lady who truely cared for all living things. Should you have any questions on my experience with Tiger Ranch, Please feel free to email me at Jeffs38@yahoo.com
God Bless you Linda!
Thank you Jeff and Lillian's Mom for posting about Linda. We are very glad to hear these accounts of her. We didn't think she sounded mean or inhumane from the articles we were just so sad by what it had come to. It sounds indeed like she is a very kind hearted person who meant well but who got in over her head perhaps. It is a sad story all around... Thank you for posting these accounts of your interactions with her.
We will keep purring for all the kitties and for Linda, too.
Purrs,
Mr. Chen & Ollie
::oof!:: Stop squishing me!!!
..and MomBean wants me to say there is no way you could be getting a blurpy girl in two weeks when your Momma is so tiny! I fink she's jealous...
Lin Marie is a liar and a hoarder. She is anything but a saint. She is good at conning people into thinking she is a great person. It is all a scam. She tells people what they want to hear and they believe her. I know the type because I have a family member who does the same thing. She does not care one bit about animals. She only cares about herself and her image.
More charges were filed separately Thursday against Bruno, 45, who also goes by Lin Marie.
The new charges include seven felony counts of tampering with public records -- namely rabies vaccination certificates for cats. There also are 10 misdemeanor charges: seven counts of forgery for allegedly signing a veterinarian's signature on the documents and three for allegedly operating an unlicensed veterinary practice.
The new criminal complaint identifies the veterinarian whose signature was forged as James Davidson, and alleges that while he was previously involved with Tiger Ranch, he stopped frequenting the place -- and signing its documents -- sometime before the forgery was committed.
Davidson told investigators he had held a vaccinating fundraiser at the Allegheny Township municipal building for Tiger Ranch, and that after the clinic was over, Bruno took the rest of the vaccination supplies home with her, since she had paid for them.
He also visited the place several times to give Bruno advice, but had never treated or vaccinated any animals for Tiger Ranch there or off-site.
According to the complaint, Davidson told police that except for the signatures from one date, June 24, 2007, the "James Davidson" signatures in Bruno's records were not his.
Investigators also interviewed one of Tiger Ranch's customers, Holly Wood, who told them Bruno vaccinated her cats against rabies.
Wood brought her four cats to Bruno to be spayed, neutered and given their shots in August 2007. When she came back that night, Bruno told her they'd been treated off site, and later gave her records that bore what investigators say is Davidson's forged signature.
Six months later, the complaint states, she brought three cats back for rabies vaccinations -- and Bruno administered the shots to the cats there in her waiting room, while Wood held them.
According to the complaint, "Davidson was asked if he ever told (Bruno) that she was able to administer rabies vaccinations. He said that he never did that and that he would have assumed that she knew better."
Bruno's trial for the first set of charges is scheduled for Jan. 20 before Allegheny County Judge Jill E. Rangos in Pittsburgh.
Tiger Ranch Raid Update: Rescued Cats Now Up for Adoption!
More than one year after being rescued, nearly 250 of the 390 cats seized in one of the largest anti-cruelty raids of recent times are on the lookout for new forever homes. The cats, who were held for over a year as evidence during the investigation and subsequent prosecution of Tiger Ranch Cat Sanctuary owner Lin Marie, have spent this time recovering from such ailments as malnutrition, dehydration, respiratory conditions and various skin conditions.
Back in March of 2008, members of the ASPCA Field Services and Disaster Response Teams found the cats living in squalor on the 28-acre property in Tarentum, Pennsylvania. Investigators also found hundreds of dead cats, some in freezers inside the home, others in open burial pits and still others in plain view.
On July 13, 2009, sanctuary owner Marie, also known as Linda Bruno, pleaded guilty to 12 misdemeanor animal cruelty charges and two other counts of tampering with evidence. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Marie will never again be able to own, control or possess any animals. She also will have to pay $200,000 in restitution to the Clarion County Humane Society in Shippenville, which has been caring for the surviving cats since the raid took place. Marie will be sentenced on October 5, 2009, and could face jail time.
Adoptions are taking place at the Clarion County Humane Society. For more information on how to adopt the cats contact (814) 226-9192.
Tiger Ranch Raid Update: Rescued Cats Now Up for Adoption!
More than one year after being rescued, nearly 250 of the 390 cats seized in one of the largest anti-cruelty raids of recent times are on the lookout for new forever homes. The cats, who were held for over a year as evidence during the investigation and subsequent prosecution of Tiger Ranch Cat Sanctuary owner Lin Marie, have spent this time recovering from such ailments as malnutrition, dehydration, respiratory conditions and various skin conditions.
Back in March of 2008, members of the ASPCA Field Services and Disaster Response Teams found the cats living in squalor on the 28-acre property in Tarentum, Pennsylvania. Investigators also found hundreds of dead cats, some in freezers inside the home, others in open burial pits and still others in plain view.
On July 13, 2009, sanctuary owner Marie, also known as Linda Bruno, pleaded guilty to 12 misdemeanor animal cruelty charges and two other counts of tampering with evidence. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Marie will never again be able to own, control or possess any animals. She also will have to pay $200,000 in restitution to the Clarion County Humane Society in Shippenville, which has been caring for the surviving cats since the raid took place. Marie will be sentenced on October 5, 2009, and could face jail time.
Adoptions are taking place at the Clarion County Humane Society. For more information on how to adopt the cats contact (814) 226-9192.
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