ALMOST (Hell) HEAVEN Info

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

A place to put news stories and updates on this notorious puppymill.


Link to Does Anyone have a Doodle from Almost Heaven in Main Forum

Link to Honey Doodle's Story from the Main Forum

Link to Almost Heaven in Trouble Again from the Main Forum

Link to Update on Almost Heaven from Main Forum

Links to Rescue in the News from The DRRC

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/almost-heaven-photos-video

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http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/just-in-on-almost-heaven?p...

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/fosterfamilies/forum/topics/finni...

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/interested-in-adopting-an

http://doodlerescuecollective.ning.com/forum/topics/dogs-from-almos...

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http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/almost-heaven-hell-update?...

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Who's watching out for me?
Puppies put in peril by dog wardens with limited power, a flawed state reporting system and lax enforcement.
By Tim Darragh and Christopher Schnaars | Of The Morning Call
March 11, 2007
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 next Puppy breeding and boarding kennels throughout Pennsylvania have been virtually assured of passing grades from state regulators even with feces-filled living areas, cramped cages, dirty water bowls and diseased or dead dogs, according to an investigation by The Morning Call based on a first-ever analysis of 20,000 state inspection records.

Dog wardens are charged with protecting puppies. But the analysis of kennel inspection records from 2003-2006 shows the wardens have been the kennel owners' best friend.

Kennels received perfect ratings -- no violations in the 26 categories inspected by wardens on each visit -- more than nine times out of 10 during that time, the newspaper's analysis of the state's computerized records showed.

This record of perfection flabbergasts animal welfare organizations, including the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which have long criticized Pennsylvania for allowing substandard kennels and puppy mills to operate.



Related links
PHOTOS: Who's watching out for me? Photos
Lemon law can't take the bite out of buying a sick dog
Money can't buy you love, but knowledge helps The newspaper's finding "sort of verifies in a very strong way what we've been complaining about for years," said Bob Baker, a national ASPCA investigator. "I don't think even the harshest critics would have thought" nine out of 10 inspections would be perfect. "It shows [the lack of enforcement] is even worse than what we thought."

To fix the problem, the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement would have to know it existed. Until The Morning Call demanded kennel inspection records, the bureau had no idea how to analyze its own data. It took the newspaper three months to get the state database of inspections using the state public records law.

Even then, bureau officials mistakenly believed their computer system could only provide inspection records one at a time. The state's ignorance of its own system's capabilities prevented officials from analyzing records in a way that would have revealed troubling patterns among kennels.

The Morning Call assembled the records in its own database and completed an analysis that presented the accurate picture of the state's kennel inspection system. [To view the inspection records for your kennel, visit www.mcall.com/dogs.]

A technical flaw also became apparent during the analysis: The state's computer software inadvertently cut off wording in the narratives of hundreds of inspections, leaving some of the most critical information off the electronic record.

In addition to the nonexistent analysis of records, the bureau's practices set its mission up for failure. Its unofficial policy tilted toward instructing kennel owners on how to comply with the law rather than issuing citations or closing kennels. That left hundreds of kennels with violations marked on their inspections still scoring an overall "satisfactory" grade for the inspection.

The bureau also tacitly permitted incomplete inspections by allowing wardens to file reports even when they were unable to go inside a kennel. That practice, along with the unofficial policy to educate rather than cite kennel owners, has been curtailed, officials said.

Finally, existing laws hampered more-effective enforcement, since state law allows only police and humane officers to file cruelty charges. So the one group allowed to enter a kennel without a warrant -- dog wardens -- has no authority to file cruelty charges even if wardens witness mistreatment.

Also in the mix are wardens' other duties, including chasing strays, checking on licensing and enforcing dangerous-dog laws.

A need to get tough

All of the above can translate into misery for the animals and heartache for their prospective owners. Consider the case of Long Lane Kennel. Dog warden Richard Hess cited the Narvon, Lancaster County, kennel twice after a March 15, 2006, visit, but gave it a satisfactory grade. It was Long Lane's 10th consecutive satisfactory inspection by Hess.

Before the year's end, however, other inspectors and a Humane League of Lancaster County cruelty investigator found conditions so horrible at Long Lane they seized 23 dogs, with one so sick it had to be euthanized. The kennel had a broken heater, exposed wires, chewed wood and feces throughout the structure, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Charges against the kennel are pending.

In another case, a dog warden found two dead puppies and other violations at Rocklane Kennel in Martinsburg, Bedford County, about 18 months ago. Rather than pull the kennel's license the warden issued six summary fines. The state took three months to do a follow-up inspection, after which it licensed Rocklane for another year.

It's rare for kennels to lose their licenses involuntarily. Bureau Director Mary Bender said the state has gone after licenses only about a half- dozen times since 2003.

Bender said she saw no reason why kennels shouldn't have spotless records after learning of the newspaper's findings. Assuming that wardens should have been more critical "presupposes that there must be problems in kennels," she said.

But Gov. Ed Rendell, who owns two rescued golden retrievers, believes problems exist and last year ordered the bureau to get tough.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Meanwhile, more dogs suffer and more dogs die! The Governor could do it IF he REALLY wanted to.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Almost Heaven by another name?
Bill White
January 24, 2009
Derbe ''Skip'' Eckhart, owner of the inaptly named Almost Heaven Kennel in Upper Milford Township, doesn't talk to me anymore.

I don't hold it against him. I've been writing about Eckhart for several years, and none of the articles has been particularly complimentary. I probably wouldn't talk to me either.

But it's too bad, because I'm dying to hear the details about the latest developments at Almost Heaven.

Investigators from the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement visited the kennel undercover Friday afternoon and then executed a search warrant for records that demonstrate who exactly owns the place these days and whether it is complying with the state's dog welfare laws.



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This search was unrelated to Eckhart's oft-delayed court hearing on cruelty charges arising from an Oct. 1 Pennsylvania SPCA raid on his kennel. That's scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Lehigh County Courthouse. Dog Law also revoked his kennel license in the wake of the raid, but he appealed and has continued to operate. His application for a 2009 license still is being reviewed.

I knew nothing about Dog Law's latest concerns when I tried interviewing Eckhart on Wednesday. All I knew at that point was that Almost Heaven's Web site, formerly illustrated with a winter view of the picturesque facility, now was headed, ''T.A.S. KENNELS.'' Intriguing.

Its home page continues, ''T.A.S. Kennels has purchased Almost Heaven Kennel and is now operating in the same location. We are new ownership and new management. We are offering services for dogs and cats to the public. Boarding in an airy and friendly setting, designed for the comfort of your companion. Grooming by a professionally trained show groomer, providing the TLC you expect and conforming to breed standards.

''We invite you to come and visit us. Tell us what you're seeking in a new companion and we'll show you what we may have and if we don't have it, we will help you find your new companion. We are here to serve you and our community.''

The owner is listed as ''April W.,'' who may well be Skip Eckhart assistant April Dotterer Welter, although I couldn't reach her for comment.

When I asked Eckhart about T.A.S. during our too-brief conversation, he confirmed that he no longer owns the place, but wouldn't discuss it further. I should note that he did answer the phone when I called the T.A.S. number, which is the same as the old Almost Heaven number.

The Pennsylvania Department of State has no record of a T.A.S. Kennels. There's no record of the transaction with the township or county.

The problem at the moment, however, is that Dog Law hasn't received any notice either, according to spokesman Chris Ryder. Since neither April W. nor anything named T.A.S. has a kennel license, the bureau wanted to nail down exactly what's going on so it can decide whether charges are appropriate for operating a kennel without a license, Ryder said.

He said the wardens also would be counting dogs and ensuring there were no animals in distress. ''But I don't think there's going to be a full inspection of the kennel today,'' he said. ''Today's goal was to get access to those records.''

Cynic that I am, I couldn't help wondering from the beginning if this mysterious change had anything to do with the fact that the names of Almost Heaven and Skip Eckhart had been…tarnished, shall we say -- OK, they're mud -- in the wave of revelations about the filthy conditions uncovered in the raid.

I can't tell you how many dissatisfied customers have told me they had no idea of the kennel's reputation when they purchased dogs there. But in the wake of the raid, you'd have to be really clueless not to notice all the stuff floating around about Almost Heaven.

Eight of the first 10 entries in a Google search are negative in the extreme. And if you check with the Better Business Bureau, you'd find Almost Heaven has a grade of F. That doesn't stand for Fantastic.

How much better to be reborn as airy, friendly T.A.S. Kennels, with a pristine reputation and no sign of that Eckhart guy.

Ryder said late Friday afternoon that the records will be returned to Harrisburg, where they will be reviewed Monday by Dog Law lawyers to determine how to proceed.

No one was answering the phone at Almost…er, T.A.S.

But I do have one interesting tidbit for you. A former Almost Heaven employee told me T.A.S. must stand for the names of Welter's three daughters.

Of course, if it's really just Almost Heaven by another name, it might as well stand for Tricking All Suckers.

[e-mail] 610-559-2146

Bill White's commentary appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Investigators from the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement on Friday visited what's been known as the Almost Heaven Kennel.

They executed a search warrant for records to show who exactly owns the kennel and whether it's complying with the state's dog welfare laws.

A Dog Law spokesman said the records will be taken to Harrisburg, where lawyers will review them on Monday to determine how to proceed.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

DNA tests show Almost Heaven kennel in Upper Milford tricked dog buyers
Bill White
January 27, 2009
1 2 next A woman who worked in a key role at the controversial Almost Heaven dog kennel for several years says she tricked hundreds of customers of owner Derbe ''Skip'' Eckhart by misrepresenting the parentage of the dogs they were buying.

Her claims about deceptive sales were confirmed by DNA tests arranged by The Morning Call and administered to three dogs purchased last year at the Upper Milford Township kennel. In all three cases, the dogs' actual breeds did not match what the new owners were told or what was listed on their sale documents.

Pattie Fontana, the source of information that helped spark the Oct. 1 Pennsylvania SPCA raid on Almost Heaven, began working -- and even living, on occasion -- in the Almost Heaven complex in 2002. She told me she routinely sold people dogs whose parentage, vaccinations and birth dates weren't accurate. ''There's got to be a thousand out there,'' she said.

Eckhart and his lawyer declined to comment on any of this.



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Fontana said she was following Eckhart's orders, explicit or understood. She told me Eckhart's philosophy was: ''Never give up a sale. When anybody calls up to buy something, we always have it.'' Even if they didn't.

And, particularly in the later days of her tenure there, she said, she had an ulterior motive.

''It may be wrong on my part, but I wanted as many dogs as I could to get out of that hellhole,'' she said. ''If you worked and lived in that place, you would do anything you could to get them out to a good home.''

We first met in late August 2007, after she had left Almost Heaven's employ. She told me that night that she couldn't stand the treatment of dogs there anymore, and she wanted to bring the conditions to light and get the remaining animals out of there.

But she returned for a few weeks last summer, and shortly after she quit again, she supplied me with copies of Almost Heaven contracts that in several cases, she said, misrepresented the breeds of the dogs and other information about them.

Fontana acknowledged that she was responsible for many of these deceptions herself. She said she would keep a fake mother and father dog cleaned up and available -- friendly dogs she had obedience-trained -- to show prospective buyers. ''It was always a lie,'' she said. ''The whole thing was a lie.''

The conditions Fontana described during our interviews were confirmed by the PSPCA raid that she helped spark as the confidential informant mentioned in the agency's affidavit of probable cause. It resulted in the discovery of some 800 animals living in what investigators said was hellish filth. Many of them were sick, frightened, injured, dehydrated and crammed into overcrowded cages, investigators said.

The raid resulted in the seizure of dozens of sick animals, SPCA cruelty charges and state dog law citations against Eckhart, whose kennel license was revoked. His criminal case is scheduled for a hearing in Lehigh County Court at 1:30 p.m. today. He appealed the license revocation, but Chris Ryder of the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement told me last month that they hope to finally shut him down under the state's new dog welfare law by denying him a 2009 license and weathering his expected appeal of that decision. The official response to his 2009 application is pending, Ryder said last week.

As I reported last week, the kennel's Web site now says Almost Heaven has been sold and renamed T.A.S. kennels, owned by ''April W.,'' who Dog Law has confirmed is longtime Eckhart assistant April Dotterer Welter. Dog Law investigators visited the kennel undercover Friday afternoon and then executed a search warrant for records that demonstrate who exactly owns the place and whether it is complying with dog welfare laws. The investigation still was under way Monday, Ryder said. Neither Welter nor T.A.S. has a kennel license.

Despite many columns and years of complaints about the kennel's operation, I had no way of confirming Fontana's claims about misrepresented dogs until last September -- shortly before the raid -- when she showed me the contracts and explained which dogs were not what the paperwork said they were. I began contacting those dog owners, and three of them agreed to have their dogs tested, at The Morning Call's expense. The WISDOM Panel MX analyses break down exactly which breeds are part of the dog's genetic makeup. I received the last of those results late last month.

The participants were:

Dunkin, purchased by Andy Lakatosh and fiancee Jessica Smallman of Bethlehem on Sept. 7. Dunkin was sold as a golden Labradoodle, according to their contract. That's a mix between a Labrador retriever and a poodle, chosen because Andy's family had a Labradoodle with a great personality. But the test showed he is a goldendoodle, part golden retriever and part poodle. Fontana explained that Almost Heaven didn't have any Labradoodles at the time.

Hana, sold to Tracey and Bryan O'Rourke of Lebanon, N.J., on Sept. 5. She was sold as a black and white goldendoodle, according to the contract, and turned out to be a standard poodle.

Bella, sold to Kim and Matt Adams of Newtown Township, Bucks County, on Aug. 30. The contract says she's a black and white goldendoodle. Her test confirmed she's a miniature poodle.

The owners of these dogs weren't happy about the results -- Lakatosh had assured me before the test, ''We are very certain ourselves that Dunkin, our puppy, is a Labradoodle'' -- but they're all much too attached to their pets to consider returning them.

The Adamses, who found Almost Heaven on the Internet and called specifically about purchasing a goldendoodle, went ahead with the purchase even though they were appalled by what they saw of the kennel conditions and the operation.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Almost Heaven kennel license denial upheld
Tim Darragh | Of The Morning Call
Agriculture Department Secretary Dennis Wolff has upheld the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement's decision to deny a 2009 kennel license to Derbe "Skip" Eckhart, owner of Almost Heaven Kennels in Emmaus.

The bureau refused the 2009 kennel license application after an October 2008 inspection showed "significant violations" of the dog law, according to a department statement.

"The secretary's decision to uphold the license refusal will hopefully mean a swift end to Almost Heaven kennel and will help ensure that the owner never operates a kennel in Pennsylvania again," said Jessie Smith, the state's special deputy secretary for dog law enforcement.

"Mr. Eckhart did not make the dogs' welfare a priority in running his kennel and his continued refusal to follow the limitations placed on him since his license was refused makes it clear that closing his kennel is the best course of action."



Eckhart has 30 days to appeal the secretary's decision to Commonwealth Court, but must follow strict rules and submit to unannounced inspections during that time. If no appeal is entered within 30 days, the bureau will see that the kennel is closed and seize any dogs beyond the 25 allowed without a kennel license, it said.

On May 1, Eckhart was ordered to stand trial by a Lehigh County district judge on charges of violating terms of his Feb. 6 kennel license refusal order, which barred him from operating a boarding kennel, among other restrictions.

However, Eckhart was found to be boarding dogs on Feb. 11 when state dog wardens inspected the kennel.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Almost Heaven kennel fails in appeal of license denial
By Tim Darragh | OF THE MORNING CALL
May 8, 2009

Skip Eckhart is shown leaving Lehigh County Courthouse on January 27, 2009, after a hearing. (Don Fisher/The Morning Call / January 27, 2009)



The state secretary of agriculture this week upheld a ruling denying a 2009 kennel license to Derbe ''Skip'' Eckhart, the embattled owner of Almost Heaven Kennel in Emmaus.

The department Thursday announced that Secretary Dennis Wolff upheld the decision of the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, which refused the license application in January. That decision followed an Oct. 1, 2008, inspection that showed ''significant violations'' of the dog law, according to a department statement.

''The secretary's decision to uphold the license refusal will hopefully mean a swift end to Almost Heaven Kennel and will help ensure that the owner never operates a kennel in Pennsylvania again,'' said Jessie Smith, the state's special deputy secretary for dog law enforcement.

Eckhart faces charges of animal cruelty and failure to keep the kennel in good shape.



Wolff's decision is significant because it reinforces the tougher kennel standards signed into law last year. Under previous law, kennels could operate unchanged for years while appealing the bureau's orders.

Eckhart has 30 days to appeal Wolff's decision to Commonwealth Court, but must follow strict rules and submit to unannounced inspections during that time, the department said. If no appeal is entered within 30 days, the bureau will close the kennel and seize any dogs beyond the 25 allowed without a kennel license, the department said.

Eckhart's attorney, Kevin Fitzgerald of Olyphant, Lackawanna County, said Eckhart ''certainly'' would appeal.

He also noted a federal lawsuit filed by the Professional Dog Breeders Council, an association of 325 dog breeders based in Royersford, Montgomery County. According to an agreement after that complaint was filed, the department lifted a ban prohibiting Eckhart from selling dogs. He is prohibited from buying or bringing more dogs into the kennel.

On May 1, a district judge ordered Eckhart to face trial on charges of violating terms of his kennel license refusal order, which barred him from operating a boarding kennel, among other restrictions. Eckhart was found to be boarding dogs on Feb. 11 when state dog wardens inspected the kennel, the department said.

In the latest kennel inspection, inspectors on March 16 found four dogs that showed signs of illness or lameness out of 348 in the kennel. Eckhart was ordered to get medical treatment for the animals. No other violations were noted.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Karoly, Eckhart among Hall nominees
Bill White
May 14, 2009

Morning Call file photos of John Karoly (left) and Derbe 'Skip' Eckhart.


Don't get excited if your name turns up on this list. You have a long way to go.

Any time I request nominations for my Hall of Fame of the area's most colorful characters, I get a hodge-podge.

Some names submitted to me are the regulars, people who have received strong support in the past and still are at the peak of their powers.

Embattled lawyer John Karoly, for example. Almost Heaven kennel operator Derbe ''Skip'' Eckhart. Controversial developer Abe Atiyeh, the Rajah of Rezoning. All have received multiple nominations again this year.



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Others are one-hit wonders, either people who were in the news recently or the targets of one angry resident or a group that feels strongly about a particular issue. Personal grudges or political campaigns often are involved.

And still others get mentioned every year but never really catch fire. WAEB Radio host Bobby Gunther Walsh consistently gets a couple of nominations. My colleague Paul Carpenter and I usually fall in this category, too, although neither of us has received a nomination so far this year, which in Paul's case is a terrible injustice.

Anyway, before the Hall of Fame committee begins its deliberations, I wanted to prime the pump one last time by listing the nominees to date.

First, let me make a couple of things clear.

Being nominated does not mean the individual will be inducted into the Hall. Some people have been nominated many times over the years and still haven't achieved Hall of Fame immortality, despite their best efforts. Northampton County Executive John Stoffa actually insisted on nominating himself this year, despite my protests that he's much too dull. So he's on my list.

A nomination does not mean that I believe the person deserves induction or even serious consideration. It just means one person suggested this person or government body. So don't get overly excited if your name turns up on this list. You have a long way to go.

OK, here are the nominees so far:

Northampton County Democratic Committee Chairman/Grand Imperial Poobah Joe Long, a controversial figure in local politics.

Derbe ''Skip'' Eckhart, owner of the inaptly named Almost Heaven dog kennel. He's facing criminal charges in the wake of an Oct. 1 raid, while also fighting the state's denial of his 2009 kennel license.

Abe Atiyeh, who has been in the news lately for his proposed treatment center/work-release facility in Bethlehem Township and for -- according to testimony at a recent court hearing -- threatening to dump pig manure on a neighbor's yard, leading the guy to take a swing at him.

For what it's worth, I think dumping pig manure on your neighbor's yard would be somewhat counterproductive, particularly if the wind is blowing in your direction.

Allentown councilman and mayoral candidate Tony Phillips. John Stoffa. Allentown mayoral candidate Dick Nepon. The Republican party in Allentown. East Penn School District officials, for various policies.

''I nominate the entire Northampton County Council, except the new guy [Joe Capozzolo, appointed to a vacant seat earlier this year]. He hasn't been infected yet.''

Political consultant Thomas Severson, convicted recently in the funeral fracas known (to me, at least) as the Meltdown at the Mass and under fire for sleazy campaign practices. Bobby Gunther Walsh. Radio personality/pitchman Craig Stevens.

Controversial minister/businesswoman Afaf Atiyeh Darcy, who has been battling her own congregants at Salem United Church of Christ, Catasauqua, to stay in the pulpit. John Schreiner of the Coplay- Whitehall Sewer Authority and the people who appointed him.

Bethlehem City Councilwoman Jean Belinski. Northampton County Councilman Charles Dertinger. Bethlehem Area School Board President Loretta Leeson and board member Rosie Amato. Federal target John Karoly.

Two ''tag teams'': Northampton County Councilman Ron Angle and blogger Bernie O'Hare vs. Councilmen Charles Dertinger and Lamont McClure. Angle's epic battles with Dertinger and McClure are responsible for many of council's loudest fireworks. O'Hare has been a strong defender of Angle and critic of allies Dertinger and McClure.

As you can see, that list includes some heavy hitters whose busts would be welcome additions to the Hall. But if you think the readers have missed anyone who deserves consideration, let me know as soon as possible. The committee is eager to go to work.

[e-mail] 610-559-2146

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Lehigh County Humane Society hard to wake up
Bill White
May 16, 2009
Bill White

[e-mail]

Until it has leaders

who acknowledge



Bill White E-mail | Recent columns

all the problems, it never will move forward.

When the Lehigh County commissioners Wednesday night rejected funding for the Lehigh County Humane Society's animal control work, they were sending a couple of messages.

One, as articulated by Commissioners Dean Browning and Glenn Eckhart, was that the county shouldn't be sending money to such a well-heeled organization at a time when the county's fiscal situation is dire. They pointed out that the Humane Society's investment portfolio has grown to almost $1.8 million.

The other was that they're not crazy about the shelter's operations. ''I don't want tax dollars going to this facility,'' Eckhart said. He and others complained about the humane society's unwillingness to explore a no-kill approach, its lack of transparency and its euthanization methods.

Even the people who voted to give LCHS the budgeted $22,500 for its services went out of their way to make it clear they don't like what's happening there. Commissioners Percy Dougherty and Bill Leiner both said they hope this will be a ''wake-up call'' for the Humane Society's leaders.

My own feeling is that an atom bomb wouldn't wake those people up. I've been writing about their antiquated approach for years, to no effect, and there have been much more vociferous critics. If the commissioners are just figuring out that LCHS needs an overhaul, they haven't been paying attention.

The Kill vs. No Kill philosophical argument gets most of the attention, but that's never been my main focus. My complaint has been that the Humane Society won't take even the most basic steps toward reducing the need for euthanization of unwanted dogs and cats.

They would include: A comprehensive adoption program that includes convenient hours and an aggressive schedule of off-site adoptions. A comprehensive foster care program. A feral cat trap-neuter-return program. A high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter program. Cooperation with local rescue groups.

Outreach to the community to improve pet retention. In-house medical and behavior rehabilitation. A strong volunteer program. Aggressive public relations efforts.

LCHS has improved a bit in a few of these areas, but for the most part, it seems to run the same way it did years ago. Until it has leaders who acknowledge all the problems, it never will move forward.

My chiding has been too even-handed to suit some of the Humane Society's more rabid critics. But the group's leadership hasn't seen it that way. One of the oddities of the Pennsylvania SPCA's raid on Almost Heaven dog kennel in Upper Milford Township last Oct. 1 was that when LCHS Executive Director Bruce Fritch recognized me there, he went on a wild tirade. I had to lure him to a far corner so his ranting wouldn't turn up as background for the ''Animal Cops'' taping of the raid.

Beyond his complaints that my criticism has been unfair, Fritch was angry because people had posted insulting, even somewhat threatening, comments on the online version of my most recent column about LCHS. I let him scream himself out and tried to explain that I don't moderate -- or even read, in many cases -- the online comments. He wasn't buying it.

I was surprised to see Fritch there at all. It turns out that he wanted raiders to know the Humane Society was prepared to take in any dogs that were confiscated from Almost Heaven. Although he stayed there all day, the rescued dogs were driven to the PSPCA's shelter in Philadelphia.

In light of the Humane Society's history with Almost Heaven owner Derbe ''Skip'' Eckhart, it would have been an unlikely landing place in any event. Thanks to the connection between former LCHS cruelty investigator Orlando Aguirre and Eckhart, the Humane Society at one point was supplying dogs for Eckhart's controversial ''rescue'' operation. What's more, in his later capacity as a state dog warden, Aguirre helped keep Almost Heaven semi-respectable by issuing satisfactory inspection reports, particularly embarrassing in light of the horrible conditions found during the raid. Just six weeks before, a team of four dog law inspectors -- including Aguirre and new director Sue West -- gave the place a clean bill of health once again.

The discrepancy between the awful conditions and dog law's reports, including the role of Aguirre and other inspectors, has been the subject of a months-long investigation by the state Inspector General's Office.

There was a nice crowd of animal welfare people at Wednesday night's meeting, and many of the commissioners said encouraging things. Nevertheless, if any of this served as a real wake-up call for Bruce Fritch and company, I'll be surprised.

They're very sound sleepers.

[e-mail] 610-559-2146

Bill White's commentary appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Kennel owner faces more charges
Almost Heaven Kennel Owner Faces More Charges: Derbe 'Skip' Eckhart allegedly violated suspended license | The Morning Call
12:29 PM EDT, May 21, 2009
Embattled kennel owner Derbe "Skip" Eckhart is facing new charges after he brought 30 dogs from New York to his Almost Heaven kennel in Upper Milford Township, in violation of his suspended license, the state Department of Agriculture said.

A state dog warden also found a number of records violations and an unacceptable amount of feces in a large pen holding four dogs during an April 23 inspection, according to a complaint filed today at district court in Emmaus. Eckhart was charged with six violations of the state dog law.

"I didn't even know about it," Eckhart said when told about the charges. He referred questions to his attorney, who did not immediately return a phone call.

The charges were filed less than two weeks after Dennis Wolff, the state secretary of agriculture, upheld a January ruling denying a 2009 kennel license to Eckhart, who operates at 4202 Chestnut St. That decision followed an Oct. 1, 2008, inspection that showed "significant violations" of the dog law, according to the state.



Related links
Almost Heaven kennel fails in appeal of license denial
GRAPHICS: Dog kennel statistics and maps Photos Eckhart's attorney, Kevin Fitzgerald of Olyphant, Lackawanna County, has said he would appeal Wolff's decision in Commonwealth Court.

If he doesn't appeal, the state plans to shut down the kennel.

While operating under license suspension, Eckhart is permitted to keep the dogs he has, but cannot acquire new animals, the state said.

Dog Warden Kristen Donmoyer conducted the inspection following a complaint about the kennel, according to state kennel inspection records. She counted 269 adult dogs and 98 puppies during her visit.

"Most of the dogs from New York were matted and in need of proper grooming," Donmoyer wrote. "Some of the dogs observed appeared to be underweight."

In her inspection report, Donmoyer wrote that Eckhart did not have the 30 new dogs on his records, nor did he have proof of current vaccinations or detailed records on the animals.

-- Reporting by Patrick Lester, The Morning Call

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

With so much overwhelming evidence, it is unbelievable he is still in business.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

can you please put the links to our Doodles in The News Articles and discussions about Almost Heaven located on the DRRC?...Those discussions have the most comprehensive and updated information....

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Will do! Sorry