UPDATE: In response to defense attorney Texas Dog Lawyer Zandra Anderson's complaint:
"The current article (see link below), "She's Back, {sic}" alleges that Ms. Purcell is boarding dogs in violation of the AgreedJudgement/Order {sic}. This is completely false. The terms of the order allow Ms. Purcell to board dogs. Marabito attended the hearing at which the order was real aloud in opencourt {sic} and it has been public record ever since July 20, 2012."
It seems Anderson's complaint is in regards to American Pit Bull Examiner quoting from Craig Malisow's Houston Press article.
"Authorities in Montgomery County are investigating if former Spindletop Dog Refuge owner Leah Purcell is boarding dogs again,in violation of a court order. has violated a court order barring her from operating a rescue, shelter or refuge. Officials and Humane Society personnel raided her Willis property last year and seized nearly 300 dogs who had been kept in filthy conditions. "
This article was written in response to a recent experience shared by an unassuming visitor to Purcell's new operation.
"Kennel runs were small, indoor/outdoor, no grass, ground was packed damp dirt, covered by metal building but open (no doors) on each end. No A/C or heat, though she did say she would bring in portable AC when it got hot. As large as that building is, I don't believe any portable AC would work too well, even if the ends were closed with heavy plastic. In the kennels were three other dogs (two pits and a mix), two puppies, some chicks and a few cats (which she said she was holding for some folks until they moved to their new home)."
From the complaint, it appears Zandra Anderson's distress was caused by American Pit Bull Examiner's phrase quoted from the original Houston Press article, "agreed to terms that bar Purcell from future rescue and boarding and also subject her to random animal welfare checks for two years."
American Pit Bull Examiner in the vein of fair reporting will change the quoted phrase to reflect the later edit. Questions regarding boarding of pit bulls as seen by recent visitors are still unclear.
Spindletop Missing and Dead Dogs Facebook page is offering to post letters from the hundreds of people missing dogs at Spindletop. Please share with anyone who might be missing animals which were entrusted to the former refuge raided July 18, 2013.
Willis, Texas: Former so-called 'sanctuary' Spindletop Rescue is back open for business. Last July 17, "nearly 300 dogs were found living in deplorable conditions, and more were found dead on the property."
Owner Leah Purcell faced charges in a quick trial. According to the Houston Press, "After hours of private pretrial negotiations, Purcell's attorney, Zandra Anderson, agreed to terms that bar Purcell from future rescue and boarding and also subject her to random animal welfare checks for two years."...this quote from Houston Press has been changed to read, "Authorities in Montgomery County are investigating if former Spindletop Dog Refuge owner Leah Purcell is boarding dogs again,in violation of a court order. has violated a court order barring her from operating a rescue, shelter or refuge. Officials and Humane Society personnel raided her Willis property last year and seized nearly 300 dogs who had been kept in filthy conditions."
The past months have yielded nothing remotely hinting at a stronger criminal case while hundreds who've followed this case await word of a deeper investigation. Certainly, the hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars secured by Spindletop and Purcell over the years should have interested Uncle Sam, since the horrible tales of animal abuse and outright killing didn't seem to warrant a case.
Just yesterday, word of this new website Texas Canine-Equine Solutions broke. A viewing of the site is something akin to attending an amusement park erected at the Bates Motel. Why would Purcell draw attention to her operation with a website advertising boarding and other services for 'animal loved ones for 27 years?'
Before even checking the IP address, a visit to the links page confirmed our most gruesome suspicions. A full page was dedicated to Zandra Anderson, Texas Dog Lawyer and attorney who wrangled the slap on the wrist for one of the most horrible abuse hoarding situations the H.S.U.S. has ever witnessed. The links page has been removed before publishing this article, removed as conveniently as the bones and memories of the many missing and dead dogs that wound up at Spindletop.
"A whois.net search reveals that the domain does in fact belong to Purcell,"
http://www.whois.net/whois/txcanineequinesolutions.us
"Anderson would deny HSUS's claims of dogs fermenting in their own waste, the hair and skin around their paws discolored from urine burns. Anderson proved proficient at denial. She was less adept at explaining why dogs Purcell said had been adopted months and years ago were plainly visible in a video of the seizure."
Rescuers like Bonny Schumaker and Tammy Lorkovic have begged the Spindletop mouthpiece for information leading to dogs they'd entrusted to Purcell. " "Is he safe somewhere...please let me know...I can't handle this agony," Lorkovic e-mailed Anderson. Anderson responded, "I am not sure where he is but he was removed long before the seizure occurred I have learned."
Bonny Schumaker is the president of On Wings of Care had entrusted Scarlett to Spindletop in November 2011. "Zandra answered our email and assured us that Scarlett was with HSUS in Conroe, even told us the row of kennels at the fairgrounds that Scarlett was supposedly in. We flew ourselves there immediately, drove to the facility, poured through the books and waited til the end of the day and insisted on a walk-through. Scarlett was nowhere to be found."
"We went back a second time weeks later, had lengthy conversations with the head of HSUS operations there and others, including the district attorney and local law enforcement, all of whom also searched for Scarlett. Zandra never answered any more emails from us."
Schumaker, Lorkovic and hundreds of others are still waiting to find out what happened to their dogs.
From the new website, "Most dogs, cats, horses, etc., end up in Rescue type situations because the basic needs have been met but the human/animal bond correlation is not there. Their mental needs are simple if you are willing to step up to the plate to give your intelligent and thoughtful companion what you owe them. God let them into your life, return that favor."
Nearly every page has a photo of a pit bull breed. Under the terms of her negotiated agreement, "after hours of private pretrial negotiations, Purcell's attorney, Zandra Anderson, agreed to terms that bar Purcell from future rescue and boarding and also subject her to random animal welfare checks for two years. The case will be referred to a grand jury, which will decide whether to indict. (Purcell was allowed to reclaim 11 dogs belonging to her or her mother.)"
In a blistering piece that reads like pulp fiction, Craig Malisow's 'No Sanctuary at Spindletop," delves deep into the murky dealings of Purcell's operation. Tales of sex offenders bashing in the skulls of boarded pets and dogs burned alive ends with a quote from Purcell herself. Purcell was spotted by a friend of Tammy Lorkovic's at a store last August. According to the friend, Purcell flipped the seizure and raid off to 'a misunderstanding.' She then told the friend, 'I'll get my dogs back."
It looks like Malisow's article has come true. According to the website Texas Canine Equine Solutions, Spindletop is back in business and ready to help.
According to the new website, "Not all can be saved from the ignorance of human care and/or breeding, but a lot of them may be saved with a little education and understanding. Let's get to work!"
We will never forget the dogs who wound up at Spindletop. We believed in Leah Purcell and Spindletop. Reunion Rescue was founded on the model of Spindletop and guilty of entrusting dogs to Purcell's care.
A Facebook page Spindletop Missing and Dead Dogs has been established to track the many dogs who disappeared behind the gates at 11797 Calvary Road.
https://www.facebook.com/spindletopmissing
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: www.reunionrescue.com
American Pit Bull Examiner
www.examiner.com/american-pit-bull-in-national/cindy-marabito
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