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Updated News on the Baird Case. Posted September 8th 2003
Where'd the dogs go? 15-year probe has answer
By LINDA REDEFFER ~ Staff Writer
For nearly 20 years people who love animals heard about the blue truck, and a brown truck, that patrolled the streets of Poplar Bluff and the roads of Butler County picking up animals. They knew about the truck that parked at the Sale Barn, the driver buying dogs and cats from people, then taking the hapless animals to laboratories selling them for experimentation purposes. Some people's pets turned up missing and the suspicion was that they had been snatched, put into the blue or brown truck, and driven away to be sold and taken to the lab.
C.C. Baird, a USDA Class B animal dealer bought animals at the Sale Barn from bunchers, people who drive around picking up animals and selling them to dealers to make a quick buck. Local authorities suspected Baird was operating illegally, but were never able to catch him at it.
Two weeks ago C.C. Baird was finally caught.
After a 15-year investigation by the Last Chance for Animals Special Investigations Unit and 70 hours of documentation, according to the LCA website, an undercover investigator discovered overwhelming amounts of abuse, neglect and unsanitary conditions at Baird's kennel, Martin Creek Kennel, in Williford, Ark. There was also evidence of dogs being shot to death on the property.
The information was given over to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Postal Systems, Arkansas State Police and the local sheriff's department.
At 6 a.m. Aug. 26, law enforcement officials served a search warrant on Martin Creek Kennel and took over the animal facilities on the property.
According to Chris DeRose, president of Last Chance for Animals, Baird has not yet been arrested or indicted, but he expects that in the next couple of weeks he soon will be.
"Right now he's still on his property," DeRose said, "but I don't believe he's operating. We had someone check to see if he went to any dog auctions. The bunchers were there to sell, but he was not there to buy. He's not going to be doing much right now; he's talking to lawyers."
At present, DeRose said, authorities at the federal, state and local level are sifting through Baird's records to find all the evidence possible to convict him. He faces charges of animal cruelty, but DeRose said there will be other charges, some possibly federal, once all the information has been analyzed. It's possible, he said, that Baird will not only be fined but will get some prison time. The 15-year investigation has led investigators to Missouri and Arkansas, where DeRose said most of the Class B dealers are located. Investigators also have tracked Baird's activities to Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states.
By selling dogs to research labs at between $250-$800 per animal, Baird was selling at least 3,000 dogs a year and making a fortune. "It's a lot of money," DeRose said. "We're going through his books, checking his income, and I don't doubt the IRS will get involved in this."
Baird reportedly sold animals to nearly 50 facilities around the country.
One of the reasons the investigation took 15 years, DeRose said, is because Baird covered his tracks well. His wife reportedly is a Class A dealer, who is allowed to breed animals for research giving him an alibi for where many of his dogs came from. Also, DeRose said, with stolen pets and a sloppy record-keeping system, it's extremely difficult to track animals and make a case.
Last Chance for Animals, headquartered in Los Angeles, claims this is the largest multi-agency investigation on any animal issue in the history of the United States.
"Prior to this case we busted dealers in California, the first time it ever happened," DeRose said.
LCA also has recently concluded an investigation regarding puppy mills in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, resulting in a conviction, and did a four-month investigation into Premarin and horses, which also concluded with a conviction. LCA does smaller investigations, but prefers to focus on large issues that can result in change.
"We have a bill in Congress, the Pet Safety and Protection Act," DeRose said. "We want to use this (the Baird case) as a vehicle to push the bill through. This licensing of Class B dealers is not going to go away until we do away with the whole system. They keep licensing these people and they create a criminal element."
DeRose also criticized USDA inspectors for turning a blind eye to obvious infractions.
DeRose said that by having federal agencies involved in the Baird case, it becomes not so much an animal rights group looking into a cruelty matter, but "it gives it more credibility."
He predicted that by the end of next year, Class B dealers will be eliminated and the bunchers will have to find other ways to make quick money.
Karen Coleman with the Animal Control Office of the Poplar Bluff Police Department remembers Baird, and recalled how she and others in Animal Control, as well as Humane Society investigators, inspected Baird's setup at the Sale Barn, but always found him in compliance with local laws.
"They have eliminated something the citizens of Poplar Bluff never wanted to be in business in the first place," Coleman said.
Although Baird managed to stay above the law at the Sale Barn, Coleman said he was never allowed to adopt animals from the city animal shelter.
The shutdown of Baird's kennel is a step toward eliminating the suffering not only of the animals, but of the people whose pets had been stolen.
"The people became victims as well," DeRose said. "Some of the letters and phone calls I've received are heartbreaking. One woman said it's probably going to cost her a divorce but she's going to spend the rest of her life looking for her dog. She will not stop until she finds out what happened to him. She said she had that dog eight years; it's not just a dog, it's family."
According to the Last Chance for Animals, about 700 animals from Martin Creek Kennel need to be rescued. LCA is running a campaign to save them but requires that the animals are not to be euthanized or used for any commercial purposes. To rescue an animal, go to the website at:
http://www.lcanimal.org/invest/baird.htm.
In addition, the USDA has issued an alert for people who believe their dog may have been stolen and taken to Martin Creek Kennel. Most of the dogs seized, according to the USDA, were hounds, beagles or lab mixes. Anyone who has lost a dog and believes it may have been at this kennel should submit the following: name and address of the owner, phone number, and a description of the dog including breed, age, sex, weight, its name and distinguishing marks or other characteristics. Also supply the date the dog disappeared and a recent photo (an electronic format can be e-mailed).
Information can be faxed to (970)472-9558 or e-mailed to ACWEST@aphis.usda.gov
.
Or it can be sent by regular mail to USDA/APHIS/Animal Care, Arkansas Dogs, 2150 Center Ave., Building B, Mailstop 3W11, Ft. Collins Colo. 80526.
PLEASE HELP SUPPORT LCA'S EFFORTS.
YOUR GENEROUS DONATION WILL ENSURE OTHER
ANIMAL CRUELTY OFFENDERS, JUST LIKE C.C. BAIRD,
ARE PUT OUT OF BUSINESS!
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