Romulus, Seneca County (WSYR-TV) - A dog breeder in the Seneca County Town of Romulus has admitted to federal inspectors that he killed more than 90 dogs through carbon monoxide poisoning. He trapped the animals in a whelping box and stuck an exhaust pipe inside.
It appears that many of the animals at the kennel had a disease called Brucella, which would render them basically useless for breading without expensive antibiotics.
According to a
USDA report, David Yoder, owner of Black Diamond Acres, said he was trying to "de-populate" his kennel. The report describes Yoder's method of euthanizing the dogs in detail. "The licensee utilized a wood whelping box and fitted the opening with a metal door and a small hole that was attached to an exhaust pipe," the report reads. "The pipe was attached to a 3 horse power engine used around the farm. The engine was then turned on and a mixture of fumes from the exhaust of the vehicle with inadequate concentrations of gas was piped into the whelping box containing 5 or 6 dogs for mass euthanasia."
The report also cites that the dogs' stress levels and discomfort were not monitored. Also, "the dogs were put into the whelping boxes and euthanized in view of the main kennel dogs."
New York State law explicitly prohibits this method of euthanizing dogs, saying, "No person shall euthanize a dog or cat by gas omitted from an engine exhaust."
By law, a licensed veterinarian needs to euthanize the dogs humanly if that's the choice of the breeder. Yoder is not a licensed veterinarian.
The Seneca County Sheriff says his office is investigating the criminal aspect of this case, but has not yet decided to file charges.
David Yoder left the building while he was putting the dogs down because the fumes were apparently giving him a headache. According to this report, he used a stethoscope to check for a heartbeat before burying the 78 dogs and 15 puppies. Most of the animals were small breeds like terriers and poodles.
The USDA says the inspectors' findings have now launched a larger, full scale investigation into Black Diamond Acres. Depending on the outcome of that investigation, the breeder could be fined. Yoder voluntarily gave up his license following the inspection.
Inspection records from the previous three years on this breeder also show major deficiencies in the care of animals. Most of those deficiencies required immediate corrections in order for the Black Diamond Acres to keep operating.
