According to KHOU, "Many of them are in cramped cages – so cramped they can’t even turn around. They’re living in their own waste. Many of their cages have been shut for so long, we know these dogs haven’t even been out of their cages," Katie Jarl, with the Humane Society of the United States, said.
"You cannot exist living in your own urine and feces. I watched dogs – we were doing a walk-through – drinking their own urine. A lot of them had absolutely no water, food dumped on feces," Dr. Tim Harkness of the Houston Humane Society said."
Leah back in the day posing with some of her favorites |
What went wrong? What causes a person to veer from being an internationally known advocate to a con artist cum rescue? Reports of her wide scale 'fundraising,' for lack of a better term, are still rolling in. Animal lovers have donated thousands and thousands of dollars in the names of dogs supposed to have been sent to Spindletop.
Many of these dogs are currently being sought by individuals and rescue groups who trusted Leah Purcell and believed the wording on her website, now closed....at least for rescue business.
These days, one hears much too often, the business of rescue. In my own case, every penny since Reunion Rescue was founded has been spent on the animals with full records published with the IRS and for public viewing on Guidestar.org. Amazingly, Leah Purcell and Zandra Anderson's attack team of 'trolls' have questioned my impeccable rescue and financial difficulties. All records are public knowledge and I have no secrets to withhold from the public or these players who seem to fear even publicizing their real names....could that possibly be a fear of disbarment? Or even worse? Of discovery of criminal activity?
Reunion Rescue and the rest of the true animal loving public would like to have some answers to our questions. We would like to know where the dogs are? In a few days, the unclaimed dogs at the holding center will be once again without rescue. After these animals have survived a fate worse than death in the most high kill shelter, reportedly stuck in filthy crates for days, weeks, months and many allegedly not being fed for days on end, they are still hoping for someone, a good person this time, to step up and help them.
What went wrong? |
Below is a reprint of the article unjustly pulled based on fabrication by the dog lawyer, Zandra Anderson. Each false claim she put forth to the Examiner is answered in depth and truthfully in the following three blogs:
http://doggirlpitbull.blogspot.com/2012/08/spindletop-dog-killers-try-to-shut-down.html
http://doggirlpitbull.blogspot.com/2012/08/texas-dog-lawyer-rebuttal-2.html
http://doggirlpitbull.blogspot.com/2012/08/rebuttal-texas-dog-lawyer-part-3.html
"https://www.facebook.com/VictimsOfSpindletopRaid
Willis, Texas: As the dirt begins to settle over the Willis, Texas Spindletop Refuge dog raid, people across the United States are begging for answers. Pet owners and rescuers who trusted Leah Purcell and Spindletop Refuge to take their pets for a high price are now struggling to prove the dogs belong to them and to try and get them returned. The public network is questioning whether or not Leah Purcell will face criminal charges.
According to a statement from Constable Tim Holifield of Montgomery County regarding the case, this will be a long process. Information is being gathered regarding Leah Purcell and the Spindletop affiliates and employees to decide how to approach the grand jury. Information about the Spindletop operation along with proof of monies paid to James Brewer and Leah Purcell can be sent to:
Tim Holifield tim.holifield@mctx.org
So many questions lay unanswered. What about the 38 dogs who died a horrible death in the Morgan Building, their mass gravesite filled with rotting and decomposed bodies. These were dogs Leah Purcell and James Brewer continued to collect money for their boarding and care. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are estimated to have been obtained through Paypal and other means from across the nation.
How much did Zandra Anderson, Texas Dog Lawyer, know? She continues to post on Facebook that Stella, on of the identified 38 dead dogs is 'adopted'. What is the position of the Texas Bar Association on members of the bar insinuating themselves in a criminal investigation with knowledge of criminal activity? We understand she needs to make a good living, but this is extreme. Surely there is money to be made in some other branch of legal representation.
The process of reclaiming our dogs has been long and arduous. Calls to the HSUS and Animal Farm Foundation to check status muck up the process and slow down the ability for the representatives to function.
If anyone has information they would like to submit regarding a dog thought to be part of this investigation, please send all proof of identification such as photographs, descriptions with unusual markings and scars, receipts for payment, rabies and other certification, Petfinder and Facebook pages to:
tim.holifield@mctx.org
info@animalfarmfoundation.org
The official site to learn about any updates regarding the case is:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Montgomery-County-Texas-Canine-Seizure-Case-July-2012/377304362336833
Please contact this page to keep up with current updates and progress reports.
The HSUS is heading the process of making certain all of the dogs confiscated in the raid are getting proper care, many for the first time in years.
According to the HSUS, the first round of microchipped dogs are being scanned with attempts to reunite them with their legal owners. The dogs without microchips will be addressed in the next stage which has currently been undertaken. Submitted proof of ownership is presently being compared to physical identification of the dogs. As this process is being completed, dog owners are being notified by email so that they may reclaim their pets.
The last and most heartbreaking other than those of us whose dogs were killed will be the identification of the dogs no one claims. The HSUS and Animal Farm Foundation is asking that personal applications not be submitted as this will cause undue confusion and none of these dogs will be released to the general public.
Several rescue groups in other states have already contacted the HSUS and Animal Farm Foundation to take the dogs no one claims. If you are an individual who would like to adopt one of these dogs, please contact your local 501©(3) pit bull rescue that you trust and support, hopefully one that is active in pulling dogs from your own shelter. Suggest to your group to become involved and submit an application with HSUS and Animal Farm to be considered. News about this process will be released much later down the line and published on the official Montgomery County Texas Canine Seizure Case Facebook page.
Pit bull and other rescue groups are urged to submit their offers to Animal Farm Foundation and HSUS to be considered as rescue for the unclaimed animals. Some of the California groups already claiming to be taking the Spindletop dogs have a history of euthanizing 'problem' dogs which came from Katrina and other disasters and fighting rings. Efforts are being made to try and create a safety net for the unclaimed dogs.
Victims of the Spindletop Raid may post their photos and updates to the Victims Facebook page where more good news is appreciated.
https://www.facebook.com/VictimsOfSpindletopRaid
The people at Spindletop have their own dogs back and have reopened their doors for boarding. Many of us were fooled by this operation and trusted Leah Purcell and those who work with her and represent her. Some of our dogs died a horrible death like Reunion Rescue's Stella. Many others are yet to be found. Hopefully, others will read our story and not entrust their pets to the killing field of Spindletop Refuge.
Cindy Marabito: I have written several articles about Spindletop and Leah Purcell. I have been taken in as have so many hundreds of others. I personally feel guilty for any dog I helped people send there and must live with that the rest of my life. Stella had her ears butchered off and was chained up to a vacant lot in the hot Houston sun. I sent her to Spindletop where she was robbed of her life. Her face will haunt me until the day I die.
I'm receiving a ton of hate mail beneath my article posted on the Victims of Spindletop Facebook page. Nothing anyone can say, though can make me feel more guilt for having written articles to try and help the dogs who were sent to Spindletop. I have almost $10,000 in receipts for the Reunion dogs that suffered at Spindletop. To consider the dogs we could have saved with that money is incredibly hard to bear.
Please share this story and follow the American Pit Bull Examiner for details about this situation.
Cindy Marabito of Reunion Rescue writes the American Pit Bull Examiner stories to save lives. Every click on a story donates to the animals
Reunion Rescue: http://www.reunionrescue.com
American Pit Bull Examiner:
https://www.examiner.com/american-pit-bull-in-national/cindy-marabito
Please subscribe to and keep reading the American Pit Bull column where this and other pit bull stories are followed and the truth, made known.
Join National Examiner's American Pit Bull on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Pit-Bull-Examiner/119043764844618
Check out Pit Bulls and Other Animals blog: http://doggirlpitbull.blogspot.com/
Author - Pit Bull Nation
Pit Bull Nation is a tell all book about rescuing pit bulls from death row for over twelve years.
Order Pit Bull Nation: http://www.pitbullnationonline.com
Now available in e-book and print."
So to all two or three stragglers feebly attempting to defend former rescue turned hoarder for dollars, please research your material before posting.
"Condemnation prior to investigation is the height of ignorance." If these are the heights you aspire to, then you've arrived. We still have questions and will afford due process while awaiting answers. God willing, justice will be served and all the Spindletop marauders will get a a big old plateful.
"I have almost $10,000 in receipts for the Reunion dogs that suffered at Spindletop."
ReplyDeletePost them, let us see them because, I for one don't believe it.
"So to all two or three stragglers feebly attempting to defend former rescue turned hoarder for dollars, please research your material before posting."
I don't see any haters, just people calling you out on your lies.
http://www.houstonpress.com/2012-08-16/news/spindletop-dog-refuge/
Delete"The people at Spindletop have their own dogs back and have reopened their doors for boarding"
ReplyDeleteYou are a liar, they have not re-opened their door for boarding. That has been confirmed by Tim Holifield's office.
WHERE do you dream up these things! Wow!
http://www.houstonpress.com/2012-08-16/news/spindletop-dog-refuge/
DeleteRJ. When did you come back to planet earth? Before or after the raid? Do you honestly think (honestly) that MC would have done a raid of this proportion, and HSUS would have been involved in this costly and ghastly situation if there were not an undeniable need to do so? No matter what is going on or not going on with STR, you cannot deny that basic humane laws were broken, animals suffered, and that the full extent of prosecution for these criminal acts should and will be brought forward. This is a horrific incident and these criminals should NEVER be allowed to even own animals again. They should all wear ankle bracelets! This is one of the worst situations I have ever seen. And punishment is due. Cindy said the reciepts are available on the IRS website and Guidestar.org. Go look it up, don't make someone else do your work for you.
ReplyDeleteJune
DeleteHow can this be the worst case you've ever seen??? When NO PROOF or has been shown???
Like everyone else who follows Marabito...you are delusional and have been snarled into her web of lies.
And yes, I honestly do think that this raid may have been a result of something other than the alleged conditions.
Seriously, you need to get a grip, drink some herbal tea and wait for the truth to come out.
The shallow pit full of dead dogs may have been the first clue... or perhaps the numerous dogs that are still unaccounted for. Or my personal favorite - two dogs that came in a year apart that were reported to have been adopted to families in two different states that were not found in the raid, but mysteriously appeared a week later tied to the same fence post in Willis, TX - both with more severe behavioral issues than they had when they were brought to Leah to begin with, one having been denied the heartworm treatment she was supposed to have received for a year.
DeleteJune maybe you should go look it up and maybe quiet believing everything that Cindy Marabito says. The IRS and Guidestar only list charities that have 501(c)3, not their receipts. Oh it is going to be so interesting when I start posting her bankrupcy paperwork and the judge sees her claiming $10,000 she paid to Spindletop when in fact she swore under penelty to the bills she had and what she has paid. Spindletop $10,000 was certainly not listed.
DeleteThe bankruptcy was filed two years ago and the $10K paid over the last year and several months since Batgirl/BeBe was first boarded at Spindletop. You might wish to start getting the facts correct or it won't be the first time a judge has laughed you out of a courtroom...or don't they teach that at South Texas Skool of Law?
DeleteOh Cindy, I am really scared of you!!! Please do file a suite. I am sure other people will be happy that you paid the filing fee. You are a big liar!!!
DeleteReally, I don't know Cindy but most bankruptcy judges frown upon people who file, don't pay their bills and then suddenly have $10,000 to put toward something else. Maybe your judge is different. Just sayin...............
DeleteHow is it that the only ones telling the truth are Leah, Zandra and James Brewer? Ahhhh, a conspiracy to take down them all??? I agree with June, come back to earth, think rationally and stop siding with people who allowed 38 dogs to die on their property AND then buried them in a shallow mass grave....
ReplyDeleteOy, are you people having reading comprehension issues or what?
DeleteDense as dense can be.
http://www.houstonpress.com/2012-08-16/news/spindletop-dog-refuge/
DeleteI know the truth. The pictures to go with the story will be released in due time for people like you RJ who cannot believe what you are told. It is you who is delusional. Come out from behind the curtain...who are you?
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. I have a mind of my own and don't allow others to influence me.
Deletehttp://www.houstonpress.com/2012-08-16/news/spindletop-dog-refuge/
DeleteI can't even imagine who in the world you are, RJ?!?! Obviously you never handed a beloved pitbull over to Leah Purcell imagining that you'd just handed your baby over to the best pitbull rescuer in the country and that all that Leah did was out of the goodness of her heart! Poor little Marnie who I sent to ST in February of 2011 was recovered with missing hair, crate sores and an unexplainable bloody ear condition. Also guessing that you've never sent Leah, her mother, or her boyfriend (that fine upstanding 30-yr Louisiana law enforcement officer - lived in LA all my life..didn't know there was such an animal) money thinking that you were helping the pitties at ST - hahaha!! I never hesitated to send Leah money for whatever was her crisis of the week...no dog food, no electricity, no gas...the horse down the road is being abused can you sponsor so I can get away from owner...called and asked me to sponsor three different dogs (2 are puppies) who were not even rightfully pulled or under ST's name and who actually, thank God, never saw stepped a foot on ST property. What Leah and company have done is make it that much more difficult for really good rescuers to be seen as honest and credible...they, meaning Leah, Louise, James, April and worker(s) (I think what ? maybe one) will all get their just due be it in civil and/or criminal court. I am waiting patiently till that time....
DeleteYou are correct. I have never handed a dog with any issues over to any rescues. If I could not deal with the issues myself, I certainly was not going to fork the problem over to anyone else. Specially if it was a "beloved baby".
DeleteOver the years I have given donations to many dogs in shelters (some Pitties) in order to help them get rescued. I believe some may have gone to ST, others have gone to other rescues. I don't regret spending money to help get these dogs to safety.
Again, I remind everyone that the truth is not yet known. All we have is a lot of hearsay and speculation, most of it created by Cindy Marabito who jumped on the bandwagon when she saw an opportunity to make a name and money on this tragedy.
RJ, at this point I'm reporting you to Google. I have overlooked your slanderous attacks, but now you are lying about me and about Reunion Rescue. You are treading on very dangerous ground. We'll start with a letter to Google. If you continue to print false claims, we'll take it to the next level and proper authority.
DeleteWhat's the matter Cindy, you can dish it out good but can't take it huh.
DeleteRJ, I bet you are really scared, aren't you?
DeleteOh yeah, I'm terrified!
DeleteRJ be very proud of yourself for not turning over a pittie to ST-Congratulations!! When someone advises that this is a service they provide (rehabbing pitbulls) and charges fees to do so and then doesn't provide those services that is fraud and theft! I guess the other thing is, I detest being lied to and Leah acting like she was my best friend all the while lying about the dogs there. The other lies about Nolan, Abigail and Jester - huge freakin' lies - $1950 worth of lies!!! Maybe Leah will plead insanity...I don't know of anything that is going to be a good enough excuse regardless!!!! What truth is not known??!!
DeleteWell, then Vicki you should really detest your buddy, Cindy Marabito because that is all she does is lie. Oh and Nolan, Cindy is awash in lies about him. Aren't you Cindy?
DeleteOMG what another Leah groupie?!?! No everything I'm saying about Nolan, Jester and Abigail is straight from the horse's mouth (Leah's mouth) - right up until July 17, Leah continued to lie to me on the phone about the status of all these dogs!!
DeleteOh I doubt JJ Jackson is a Leah groupie. More like JJ Jackson knows how Cindy likes to lie and sounds like she's has been caught in yet another web of lies.
DeleteI am happy that the HSUS is no longer being villianized. I hope lessons have been learned about the hardcore no-kill credo and about peacefull and lovingly letting unadoptable dogs go from their lives of torment. And most of all, I am sorry for the suffering of these precious innocents and second of all for their former rescuers. I know that you meant well. RIP beautiful dogs, BIH Leah.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.houstonpress.com/2012-08-16/news/spindletop-dog-refuge/
ReplyDeleteExaminer.com contributors such as Marabito are not required to have experience in journalism nor adhere to the truth of an incident. In fact, according to Examiner.com, they need only be "citizens of either the United States or Canada, 18 years old or older."
ReplyDeleteExaminer.com contributors are encouraged to make their articles as popular as possible. The more popular an Examiner.com author's article, the more he or she will get paid.
"Examiners are independent contractors and receive competitive pay based on publishing frequency and Internet variables including page views, reader subscriptions, session length and advertiser interest," reads the Examiner.com website.
The more controversial Marabito's article, true or not, the more money it will likely make her. Marabito’s article already has about 6,000 Facebook “likes,” much more than for stories by news agencies which have been reporting on the incident.
http://pacifica.patch.com/articles/pit-bull-she-fell-off-a-ladder-is-pr-spin
Again, RJ or whatever your name really is....you need to consider carefully what you are putting into print. You are attacking Reunion Rescue's 501(c)(3) erroneously and have been warned. If you continue to print libelous and slanderous remarks, you are in danger of a lawsuit. Added note, that lawsuit would probably be down the 'ladder' for you regards to other activity currently under investigation.
ReplyDeleteCindy, the above is straight from an article. NOT written by me.
DeleteAGAIN, CHECK YOUR FACTS.
Clearly we need some real legal opinions as it relates to bankruptcy. Bankruptcy stops creditors from collecting for services as of the date of the bankruptcy. Excluded from bankruptcy filings are obligations such as contiuing to pay for boarding for animals....really people??? Although I do not know anything about the bankruptcy filing Cindy and her rescue went through....it's ALL public information...you're not even trying. Let's talk about the horrific crimes of Leah and her gang of evil people instead. Usually when one tries to change the argument from the point at hand it is to cause a distraction from the fact that the person arguing has no solid argument.
ReplyDeleteOh Wendy, you need some facts about bankruptcy. When a person claims they have no money, when they list all of their debts and when they list everything they have paid and then they come up with $10000 a judge then wonders why they did not pay their bills. Actually any decent person would wonder why they did not pay their bills. It is a question of credibility, you see. Everything you know about what happened you know from Cindy or people that she has gotten stirred up. You know no facts yourself. Oh and I sure have solid arguments alright. I am waiting for just the right time to release them too.
DeleteReally? Bankruptcy is about credibility? Right, she wrote one check for $10,000 post bankruptcy...huh? Clearly you got your law degree from a cracker jack box. Actuually, my facts come from Directors of HSUS and Constable Holifield. Since they have first hand knowledge of the situation (and allegedly you are not Leah, Zandra, or any of the other of the cast of evil characters), I would guess you do not have good information. Cindy is not the basis of my information, but nonetheless her information jives with all of the other information I have seen and heard from all other sources. The only ones with a credibility issue are the folks associated with Leah, Zandra, etc. Well, keep up the posting. I am sure the authorities will want to subpoena you at some point and we have all this good opinion recorded already.
DeleteOh but yes, bankruptcy is about credibility---especially the amount that Cindy Marabito had to bankrupt. I am really not scared of your or Cindy's threats of a lawsuit. Just go play with your buddy the liar. I really have serious doubts about any facts that you got from HSUS or Constable Holifield.
DeleteSo wait a minute. I thought I was getting sued. Now it's JJ Jackson getting sued. What are you going to sue everyone who posts an opinion on here???????
DeleteLMAO at we have all this opinion recorded already. Like sooooooooo What?
And funny how everyone who doesn't agree with them is Leah or Zandra or someone who worked for Leah.
I'm going to say this ONE time. If you don't want to hear from people who don't agree with you, Don't blog. Of if you do, don't allow responses.
Man these people are totally delusional!
Oh no RJ, they might tell out mommy too. What will we do?
DeleteHey JJ Jackson, do you think the used a tape recorder?
DeleteI think they did!!! Oh and they probably used a camera too.
DeleteYou two are totally childish!
DeleteLMAO, WE are childish? Really????
Deleteoooh oooh oooh, I have recorded all your opinions. oooh oooh oooh.
JJ Jackson, you crack me up.
ReplyDeleteTo Cindy: “I always say the truth is best even when we find it unpleasant. Any rat in a sewer can lie. It's how rats are. It's what makes them rats. But a human doesn't run and hide in dark places, because he's something more. Lying is the most personal act of cowardice there is.”
ReplyDelete― Nancy Farmer, The House of the Scorpion
RJ and JJ - regardless of what you feel or think of Cindy Marabito, the end result is that Constable Holifield is investigating everyone and everything associated with this disgusting atrocity called Spindletop. You can try to defend your friend as much as you desire, you can try to dismiss all of the allegations, but I can assure you that pictures are worth a thousand words.
ReplyDeleteWhat others think about others shouldn't matter. Cindy should be truthful and accurate when writing articles at all times. Just because another person is guilty of a crime or she is being investigated for one doesn't mean someone should lie about her during a time of vulnerability for everyone. Just write the truth...I don't think that is unreasonable. It isn't about defending, dismissing or damning. Its about allowing this to be brought to a grand jury allowing some folks to make an intellectual decision based upon the photos and other proof of a guilty verdict. Not everyone condemns prior to the grand jury. When I read something I want it to be accurate and the truth. I don't believe its right to use the ST situation to gain attention or donations.
ReplyDelete