08/22/2024
Update: Auggie was adopted now returned, so very much in need of a foster, Adopter or rescue placement.
Update: Auggie has been accounted for he was adopted. We continue working on trying to find placement for the remaining dogs at LK with other rescues and fosters.
Update: The only dog on the euthansia list unaccounted for thus far is Auggie. If you pulled Auggie please let us know he is safe. Linda Kelly told everyone yesterday they had enough movement to not euthanize this week but I fear for him.
Update: The dogs reaminging in their care are still not safe. We are offering a year supply of slow kill medicine to any rescue willing to pull any of our remaining heartworm positive dogs at Linda Kelly Animal Shelter. This can also apply for adopters in need as well. Please help us save these dogs.
Update: Thanks to all of your efforts and the amazing rescues and fosters stepping up 7 of the dogs were pulled to saftey today. Linda kelly is not planning on euthanizing anyone today but doesn't mean these animals are safe. According to an email one of our partners recieved they were 20 dogs over capacity. Just because they aren't euthanzing today doesn't mean they won't tomorrow. Please help me get these remaining dogs out of there. They are not safe.
Update: Now Calvert County Animal Shelter aka Linda Kelly is trying to retaliate against me for this by calling it an ongoing cruelty case. I have emails from their head ACO officer saying please give us your remaining pull list I want to be done with this, proving the case had been handled and done.The county respresentative told me as long as I complied I had no concerns. They should not be allowed to abuse their power in this way.
** ALL RESCUE PARTNERS PLEASE HELP ME SAVE THESE LIVES**
Linda Kelly Animal Shelter (Calvert County Animal Shelter) is planning on euthanizing at least 10 dogs we have been made aware of that belonged to 3 Acres Rescue. We released these dogs to LK under the assurance of their safety and wellbeing. āWe do not euthanize for space."
Several of our rescue partners reached out informing us of the emails they have received from LK urging them to reclaim some of their dogs. Our rescue mission has always been focused on last chance dogs. We primarily take dogs from the euthanasia list or street dogs. This means these dogs have nowhere to go.
At least 10 dogs that we know of will be euthanized 8/23, for space. This is the opposite of what ACO are supposed to do. They could have handled this situation in so many different ways. They could have kept the dogs in our care and given me a time limit to place a certain number of dogs by. They could have worked with us to adopt dogs out from our facility like we helped with them. Instead they decided to overwhelm themseleves and put every dog in harms way. We are used to opperating and functioning at this level, LK is not. They take about a fourth of the cases we do. We were averaging 4 to 10 adoptions a week, all rescue approved homes and vetted. Our organization was flourishing we had just been awarded Annapolis Mom's thumbs up award for 2024. Yet this is the decision they decided to make. We have made several failed attempts to reach them to try to pull dogs previously in our care. They are ignoring our pleas to save the lives of the animals we spent so much caring for. Every single one of these dogs would have been safe if they had remained with us as we are a no kill rescue. I implore you to not let this stand. Please reach out to LK and protest. These dogs do not deserve to lose their lives. Rescue partners, if possible, please pull even one dog. I am begging you. Please help me stop this from happening.
Three months ago, I ended up in the hospital for a suspected TIA. I lost complete vision and was extremely ill. A week prior my kennel hand I hired to replace the inadequate kennel hand father had a heart attack. Leaving my inadequate kennel hand, who was being pushed out for lack of cleanliness as the only one left to care for the dogs while I was sick. Once back I immediately began getting the rescue back to my standards of care for our animals. While in this process my 3-year-old daughter let out 4 dogs. Two of which had been with us less than 6 days. As you can imagine some of our animals come to us in unfathomable condition, which takes time to rehabilitate. One was a sh*tzu mix that was matted and the other a dog that had arrived from transport with a previous bite injury. Based on the condition of the two dogs in our care less than 6 days, LK decided to return 2 of the 4 dogs to our care under the condition the other two dogs would be returned if we provided documentation of a vet visit and grooming appointment within 24 hours. We work with a local groomer and at this point were at Muddy Creek Animal Hospital, so this was not an issue at all and was done within an hour of the officer leaving. The only reason this hadn't been done prior was due to me being ill and in the hospital. Upon arrival to pick up the two dogs I was informed by a very rude officer they were confiscating them and no longer releasing back into our care.
A few days later we had an inspection, we passed with flying colors as the rescue was back to my standards.
Two days later LK, DHS and several unmarked patrol cars show up at my house with a warrant based off the condition of the two dogs. Keep in mind these dogs were in my care for less than 6 days. They showed up prior to rotation and would not let us let our dogs out so the kennels and house were destroyed in this process that took all day. They came in and raided everything, they took every dog but left all the cats and livestock. They took thousands of dollars of medication, supplies etc for the animals. Took my phone for 2.5 weeks leaving me unable to make any arrangements as well get myself the medical care I still needed while all of this was happening. They took our dogs and put them in smaller cages in unsanitary conditions.
To make matters worse. LK came in unorganized and unprepared. None of their officers complied with any level of sanitation. They contaminated the entire rescue. We had a litter of puppies new to the rescue we had quarantining in a separate area. Our policy is no paws on the ground until 3 DHPP. The officers came in and pulled them first. They didn't use gloves they didn't sanitize the vans or cages after removing animals. Even after I complained of f***s in a returning vehicle, they sent to pick up more dogs. They ignored my concern and proceeded anyways.
The day after ACO confiscated the animals the puppies started to vomit by that evening they were displaying all the symptoms of Parvo. ACO officer apologized to me and my kennel hand stating there were no signs of illness when they pulled them first. They believed the stress of everything brought on their symptoms. The ACO officer said by pulling the puppies first they contaminated every single dog in the rescue. They posted about the outbreak to try to gain funds leaving the public believing it was our facility that was unsanitary, not that they made a grievous error contaminating our facility. All of this could have been avoided by following contamination protocols.
In the following days LK would determine that there were zero findings, although the damage had already been done. They ruined our reputation and bankrupted my family. Without adoption fees we can't regain the funds for all the medical we paid leaving my family personally responsible for over 30 k in bills related to the rescue. They decided 3 Acres Rescue could remain fully functional and in good standing as a 501c3 rescue. No cap would be placed on the amount dogs we could pull they just didnāt want as many with us as quickly. We worked closely with ACO to try to keep our animals safe as possible. ACO came back with a suggested list of who we pulled based off who they were going to euthanize. We were able to save every single one of those dogs by either pulling or adopting out prior to their return in addition to a few others. Included in these dogs were one of the dogs from the warrant, who has since been adopted and is doing phenomenal. They even allowed us to adopt out dogs while under their care to make space for the other dogs on the euthanasia list. After several weeks they asked we release the remaining dogs. The head ACO officer assured me prior to release that they did not euthanize for space, that they were a non-kill shelter and that the dogs needing medical would receive as we had several heartworm cases. I released the dogs under the promise of their safety.
This event almost physically killed me, the stress caused my body to shut down and the loss of the animals in my care was too much. Which is why we posted that we were closing our doors. We have saved well over 1000 lives in our existence. Since relocating we have had little support from the community. We are so familiar with ACO because we adopted out their rescue only dogs through our rescue for them. We have also been harassed by the community since relocating. Our neighbor behind us harasses us, has showed up several times screaming at me. We had people drive by our house and call making complaints solely because our front yard wasn't put together. We relocated here two years ago and my stepfather died leaving me a lot of his estate. I couldn't bring myself and still haven't brought myself to get rid of everything and organize it. Not only that our property was an estate house, so we are always doing construction. None of this interfered with the dogs or their care but that didn't stop people from unnecessarily calling ACO anyways.
I implore to not let this stand. Please reach out to Linda Kelley Animal Shelter and protest. These dogs do not deserve to lose their lives. Rescue partners, I am begging you. I just keep seeing every single one of their faces and how they must feel we didn't want them and how unloved they must feel. Please help me stop this from happening.
Attached I have a picture a reporter posted of Linda Kelly Shleter, they had himm remove. In the comments is a video of our facility and a video of the conditions they placed our dogs in. Keep in mind in our video the dogs are silent, this is because they are happy.
