Second day of trial continues Tuesday

 

NORTHWOOD — A forensic veterinarian who played a leading role in rescuing 154 dogs last month from a Manly, Iowa, commercial breeding facility said a similar situation could unfold again if the dogs are returned to the facility’s owner.

The testimony by American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals forensic veterinarian Elizabeth Pearlman came during the first day of the civil trial against White Fire Kennels Owner Barb Kavars in Worth County District Court.

Worth County is requesting the animals be deemed threatened. If the dogs are deemed threatened, the court will order Worth County Sheriff Dan Fank to decide the future destination for the animals.

Kavars is seeking to keep nine Samoyed dogs  — a Siberian breed of medium-sized white or cream-colored sled dogs — and four cats taken in a Nov. 12 search warrant.

During testimony, Pearlman expressed concern the animals would be neglected if they were returned to Kavars.

“That would be a very serious concern,” she said.

Pearlman deemed facility conditions as relatable to hoarding and including unsanitary conditions. She said hoarding has an approximately 100 percent recidivism rate.

She said one of the dogs Kavars wants to keep is pregnant, predicting if the dog was returned to her, a similar situation would unfold because there is no way to control the dog population at White Fire Kennels.

Pearlman said there were approximately 16 pregnant Samoyeds when the search warrant was conducted, and approximately 37 puppies have been born in ASPCA care. Approximately six pregnant Samoyeds have not given birth.

Pearlman discussed the physical state of the dogs when they were rescued, describing some as having severe dental disease and matting.

Pearlman said approximately 75 animals at White Fire Kennels were underweight.

Kavars, through her lawyer, Michael G. Byrne, denied the animals were neglected as defined by state statutes last week. She said the animals were kept in kennels with adequate food and water provided on a daily basis. While acknowledging there was no mechanism to keep drinking water heated above freezing, she said unfrozen water was provided daily to properly maintain the animals.  

Pearlman said when the dogs were seized, an underweight pregnant Samoyed was breaking down her own muscle for the birth of her puppies.

She discussed the possibility the dogs have intestinal parasites because of the length of time they have had feces on their bodies, and she said they have been walking with a hindrance due to overgrown nails.

To Pearlman, a scar on one dog’s back indicated a traumatic incident, possibly a dog fight or a cut from an open wire fence. She discussed dogs having irritated eyes potentially stemming from ammonia exposure.

Pearlman, who said dogs were seen fighting each other, said fence holes at the facility could lead to dogs getting through and attacking each other.

She said one puppy was listed as a 2/9 on the Purina Scale used by authorities to evaluate neglect and animal body weight. Four is considered lean. One is deemed emaciated.

“That’s concerning,” she said of the listing.

Pearlman said a dog who was inside the home at the time of the search warrant was taken to a veterinary facility because he could not rise, was blind, soaked in urine, dehydrated and had an ammonia odor. She said the dog was approximately 6 feet from drinking water when he was found.

The dog was diagnosed with having a heart-based tumor and was “humanely euthanized,” Pearlman said.

She said the dogs were kept in close quarters, a “high number of animals for that given space.”
Kavars’ lawyer, Michael G. Byrne, questioned Pearlman, asking if her findings were evidence of neglect as defined by state statutes or based on her opinions.

The situation at White Fire Kennels reportedly worsened after Kavars’ husband died in June 2017.

Kavars and Byrne said last week overcrowded kennels are not a basis for animal neglect under Iowa state statutes because they do not relate to food, water, adequate shelter from elements or necessary sustenance.

Kavars and Kelsey Beenken, who is representing Worth County, declined to comment following the hearing.

The trial is expected to continue at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Kavars and Worth County are expected to be allowed to submit case briefs. A ruling is expected at a later date.

Criminal charges could be filed against Kavars, pending the outcome of an investigation.