If there is a lesson in this story, it is that you need to season what you hear and see on the boob tube with a grain of salt and a healthy dose of skepticism. That would appear to be the case with Angel's Gate animal hospice, acclaimed by TV personalities Oprah Winfrey, Rachael Ray, and Martha Stewart.
The hospice, which was opened more than a decade ago to care for animals with special needs, has come under fire following an undercover investigation by animal rights activists.
Reports New York’s Daily News:
Acting on a tip from a job applicant, an animal rights group sent in an undercover agent posing as a volunteer to scout the 100-acre ranch in rural upstate New York that 75 dogs, 230 cats, three horses and nine birds currently call home. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said the investigation found paralyzed dogs dragging themselves around until they developed bloody skin ulcers while their wheeled carts hung on a fence unused; animals kept in diapers for several days, causing urine scald; animals with open wounds and respiratory infections that weren't taken to a veterinarian.
A video of these and other abuses has been turned over to a local prosecutor who charged the hospice’s founder, Susan Marino, with assorted misdemeanors that carry up to a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Specific violations include failure to provide sustenance to five cats and possession of a controlled substance.
Holly Cheever, an Albany-area veterinarian with 30 years of experience in animal cruelty investigations, assisted in the probe. According to the Daily News, Cheever cited about a dozen animals that should have been humanely euthanized, including cats with active cases of feline AIDS. She is also on record calling Marino “an animal hoarder” and Angel's Gate “a death camp”:
Hospice is a temporary situation that leads to humane euthanasia when the quality of life is no longer acceptable. With Marino, they're essentially trapped inside of suffering bodies without the compassion to end their suffering. That's a hallmark of the hoarder. They refuse to recognize suffering.
Marino, who claims she has received death threats since the charges were filed, says in her defense, "All I've ever wanted to do was do something good for these animals." That may be true, but the video evidence returned by PETA tells a very different story from videos on the Angel's Gate website:
Dogs romp on spotless white tile floors and doze in peaceful piles on dog beds. At breakfast time, a worker sets out 25 bowls of meat in a room filled with dachshunds, shih-tzus, beagles and other small dogs, some of them dragging themselves to their bowls because they're missing limbs or are paralyzed. Marino hugs, kisses and cuddles with the animals.
In stark contrast, PETA's video, posted on YouTube, includes a frantic scene of dogs barking and fighting in the kitchen, apparently at feeding time, with Marino yelling and trying to break up the squabble. Daphna Nachminovich, a cruelty investigator for PETA, is quoted as saying, “There were animals suffering horribly at death's door, without the relief of euthanasia."
After Marino appeared on Oprah in 2008, Angel's Gate received more than $400,000 in donations. In 2009, the hospice netted another $50,000, the top prize in television host Rachael Ray’s "Mutt Madness" competition.
Following the filing of charges, the Associated Press made a visit to Angel's Gate and found dogs were dozing on cots or playing with toys in large, bright rooms with clean tile floors. Cats were described to be living “in little cottages equipped with climbing poles, cubbyholes and scratching posts.”
It seemed apparent to the visitors that remodeling had been done recently, a suspicion echoed by Holly Cheever:
She [Marino] was very aware that the boom was about to fall. She put a lot of energy into cleaning up her operation. By the time I went there in May the physical plant wasn't as dirty, but was disorganized.
Since news of the investigation broke, Angel’s Gate has added a statement to its website, reading in part:
As many of you know, for unknown reasons Angel’s Gate has been the target of an unwarranted attack. Unfortunately, this has resulted in the circulation of many false accusations and rumors.
We here at Angel’s Gate, have created a gentle and compassionate environment to allow our resident animals to live out the final chapter of their lives with dignity and receive specialized care for their individual needs. Anyone thinking otherwise simply hasn’t visited the facility or witnessed the extraordinary work accomplished on a daily basis by the committed and loving staff.
Angel’s Gate is not a shelter; it is a hospice and as such, many of the animals require care that most pet owners never have to contemplate. Our residents’ health and safety are our primary concerns and we go to remarkable lengths to ensure their well-being.
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