Little Cat Feats, a 501(c)(3) (charity) dog and cat shelter that was established several years ago by Doug and Despina Harris in Milford, Connecticut has been raided!
On August 20, 2002, representatives of the state and animal control officers from various towns arrived at this sizeable residence with local police armed with a search and seizure warrant obtained on the basis of a lone, unsubstantiated allegation that, in some unspecified way, animals had been abused or treated cruelly there.
The owners were not even allowed to call a lawyer.
They were given an abbreviated "receipt" for items taken from them, and promised a detailed receipt "in two days". As of September 13, Doug and his wife still did not have this receipt.
The warrant was directed specifically at Doug Harris and not, as would logically have been more appropriate, at Companion Animal Therapy Advocates, Inc., the Connecticut corporation of which Little Cat Feats is "the rescue and adoption mission". The warrant authorized the taking of "every animal, living or dead". Every single animal was taken from there - including the Harris's personal pets (a dozen-plus cats and three dogs), for a total of 79 cats and three dogs.
Supposedly in connection with this investigation into alleged animal abuse, the raiders took - among other inappropriate items -- all animal adoption records going back three-plus years. Also taken - without authority of the warrant - were various personal photographs and mementos of now-dead-and-buried personal pets. (As well as being an illegal seizure of the Harris's personal property, this represented a gross affront to them personally and - like so much of the rest of what's been happening here - a vicious violation of this society's standards of human decency.)
The day after this raid, Doug Harris was served papers for a civil suit against him by the city relative to a long-simmering zoning issue.
The suit mentioned above also makes the following (and other) claims:
1. That they "either relinquish ownership of the animals to the State of Connecticut, Department of Agriculture, or post a surety bond or cash bond with the State of Connecticut, Department of Agriculture, in the amount of $450 per animal for the Department's reasonable expenses in caring and providing for such animals…"
2. Once permanent custody has been granted to "the Department", its representatives shall, with the blessing of the court, "order the humane destruction of such animals as are so injured or diseased that they should be destroyed…"
3. That we be ordered "to pay the State (etc.) an amount equal to $15 for each animal which was seized, pursuant to the search warrant, for each day from the date that the animals were seized until the date that ownership of the animals was vested in the State."As of September 13, it is believed no charges were pending, other than zoning-related ones.
An hour before the August 20 raid, a regular check was performed, and every animal was alive. So far absolutely no information has been given to Little Cat Feats as to why the Harris's personal animals - or any of the others -were hauled out of their home only to be caged - a condition some of the animals have never known and none deserve. Also, the present status and condition of the majority of the animals remains unknown.
But a civil action against Doug Harris filed by the State Department of Agriculture on August 28 noted that "of the cats taken, three have died and one had to be euthanized."Harris is in contact with the ASPCA and their attorneys, and they are well aware that the first priority in Doug's mind is to secure the freedom of ALL the confiscated animals - "alive or dead". Still, Harris and others fear that not even all remaining animals will long survive the cruel, heartless and illogical incarceration they've now suffered for nearly three weeks - while NO criminal charges of any kind have ever been filed against Little Cat Feats or Doug Harris. No cruelty charge - no abuse charge - nothing!
This could happen to ANYONE - and this possibility must be prevented by taking action NOW!
http://www.geocities.com/helpcatrescuer/lcf.html
