Area kennel probed in 35 dog deaths

[DoozyDog]

State: The canines may have contracted the Parvo virus at Pet Care Associates in Kunkle.

By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@leader.net

DALLAS TWP. – The state Department of Agriculture is investigating the deaths of approximately 35 dogs that might have contracted the Parvo virus at the Pet Care Associates kennel, the owners of the business confirmed Thursday.

The Kunkle-area kennel, which has been the subject of numerous noise complaints, was shut down by the Department of Agriculture after an inspection conducted around Jan. 20, said Ellen Howarth, regional supervisor of the department’s Bureau of Dog Law enforcement.

The department on Monday filed several citations of failure to provide veterinary care and failure to clean kennels against the owners of the business, Dominic Donovan and Jennifer Barisano, according to District Judge James Tupper’s office.

Contacted Thursday, Barisano said she was unaware any citations had been filed. She said the cleanliness issue was caused by a clogged drain, which has been fixed.

She said she’s tried to obtain veterinary care, but local vets won’t help once they hear Parvo is suspected.

Barisano and Donovan insisted they’re working with animal welfare officials. They disputed the kennel was “shut down,” saying they agreed to quarantine the remaining dogs, all of which belong to them.

“The humane society came here to confirm what we reported to them,” Donovan said. “We showed them all the dogs that passed away. We have them in a freezer.”

Howarth said the kennel was quarantined after inspectors discovered a number of dogs, all of which belonged to Barisano and Donovan, had died from a “medical issue.” She declined to reveal the medical issue, saying she was awaiting test results. She did say pet owners who boarded animals at the kennel should not worry because their pet would have already shown signs if it were infected.

Barisano said tests she performed showed the dead dogs were infected with Parvo. The highly contagious virus causes flulike symptoms, including severe diarrhea and vomiting. It attacks the intestines and can infect the heart, causing sudden death. It is most commonly fatal in puppies, which have lesser developed immune systems.

Barisano and Donovan said they believe their dogs were infected by a dog, which came into the kennel, to be cared for by the on-site veterinarian, Dr. Sharon Horn.

The couple said they believe Horn should have done more to sequester the suspect dog from others.

Reached at home Thursday, Horn declined to address the specific allegations.

Barisano said she and Donovan are “devastated” by the loss of the dogs.

The couple are breeders of a variety of dogs, but specialized in a one-of-a-kind attack dog – known as a Donovan Pinscher – used by law enforcement.

All told, the suspected Parvo outbreak killed 13 Donovan Pinschers, seven Jack Russell terriers, nine Belgian Malinois and five German Shepherds, they said.

“I lost in excess of $50,000 in dogs and my life’s work,” Donovan said. “We had to close all aspects of the business, grooming, boarding, breeding. I had to let go a dozen employees.”

The couple said the dog deaths are just one of many problems they’ve encountered since moving here from New Jersey to purchase the kennel about two years ago.

In recent months numerous neighbors have complained to township supervisors about excessive noise caused by barking dogs.

Barisano said she expects it will be several months before the kennel can reopen. At this point she’s not sure if it will reopen at all.

Her focus now is trying to nurture back to health other dogs that have been infected.

“We have four puppies in the house who have survived so far. We’re up with them around the clock, keeping them hydrated and medicated,” she said.

http://www.timesleader.com/mld/times...s/13780940.htm