Vets examining dogs found at grooming shop

Friday, Jan. 10, 2003 | 9:14 a.m.

A senior animal control officer for Clark County said the discovery of 51 mistreated dogs at a pet grooming shop Wednesday night was one of the worst cases of neglect in a business that he has seen in his more than 13 years on the job.

David March, senior animal control officer, said late Thursday veterinarians were still conducting examinations of the dogs, from puppies to older adult animals. Many of the dogs appeared to be pit bulls and may have been used to breed or for fighting, authorities said.

The dogs had allegedly been penned in their own excrement without food or water in the back portion of the Artistic Pet shop on Flamingo Road at Torrey Pines Drive.

The results of the police investigation of the shop and the veterinarian's examinations will be presented to the district attorney's office so that prosecutors can decide whether to pursue animal cruelty charges.

Meanwhile, other charges have already been filed in the case.

Graham Pickett, 33, and Dawn Pickett, 31, along with Randall Ray Scott, 50, and Gary W. Ransdell, 31, are charged with possession of stolen cars and altering or defacing stolen cars, Officer Jose Montoya, Metro Police spokesman, said.

Police found five luxury cars and a personal watercraft at the shop, Montoya said.

"This wasn't your Fords or Chevys," he said.

Scott also was charged with possession of a controlled substance, Montoya said.

The dogs are at Dewey Animal Center. If any of them belong to customers of the shop, those customers can claim the animals if they can prove ownership, with shot records, photos, a license or a microchip, for example.

After 10 days, however, the pet shop owners can claim any dogs remaining at Dewey Animal Center, March said.

The incident should serve as a lesson to Las Vegas pet owners who take their dogs for grooming or boarding, March said.

"Ask to see the entire facility, and if you are kept out of certain areas, go look for another shop," he said.

The county had issued a business license to Artistic Pet in 1995, but it is undergoing routine county review because of a change of owners and location. The shop on Flamingo is the current address, license supervisor Lisa Howell said. The shop is allowed to operate, since it has an existing license, she said.

As far as any extra scrutiny after Wednesday's arrests, Howell said the county is only one step in the process. If Metro brings in information that would affect the business license, then the county will address it, she said.