By: Jamie Nash
Owners of animals placed at Spindletop who attended the hearings Friday expressed their concern and strong feelings about the situation.
Dog owner Michelle Anderson said Friday’s agreement was a “very good start.”
“It’s a big relief for those of us who tried to provide a safe environment for Pit Bulls and other dogs that have been abused and neglected,” Anderson said. “We made the decision to place them at Spindletop based on the stellar reputation of Leah Purcell – We didn’t know the hell they had endured prior to entereing shelters and found being found on the street would be perpetuated at Spindletop.”
Anderson said it was “heartbreaking” to think of what the dogs endured in the weeks and months after they were place at Spindletop by people who only wanted to improve the dogs’ lives.
She rescued her Pit Bull, Sophocles, from a San Antonio shelter, and thought she was doing what was best for him by placing him at Spindletop.
“I told him he was safe – I had no idea,” Anderson said. “I feel very guilty just like a lot of other people, but he will be safe now.”
Lachrystal Ricke was in court Friday on behalf of a friend who placed a dog at Spindletop but lives out of state and could not attend Friday’s hearing.
“(Spindletop) is a resource we trusted and thought we could count on,” she said. “With so many dogs needing rescue it’s just really disappointing to have that resource taken from the rescue community, especially for Pit Bulls – It’s hard to get them into rescues.”
“There’s not a lot of rescues (for Pit Bulls) and there’s a lot of misunderstanding about the breed, so to have someone that was really on the side of the breed, it’s hard to lose that.”
Marissa, another dog owner who was in court Friday, rescued her Pit Bull named Bella from a “high kill” shelter in Los Angeles. She then fostered Bella for eight months and was trying to find her the best home possible when she was referred to Spindletop by multiple other rescuers. She dropped off Bella on June 17.
“I interviewed Leah myself, toured the property…or what she would let me tour,” Marissa said. “It seemed like an amazing facility and I know that’s pretty much where we all were with it.”
Marissa said she really only saw the front of the property, around the two homes and she did not go inside the two-story house, which she assumed was Purcell’s private residence. She was not given access to some areas, she said, but Purcell claimed there were aggressive dogs and it was for safety reasons.
“We just saw the kennels that were outside,” she said. “The dogs (Purcell) brought out to the front porch area had toys and water she was even walking some of the dogs while we were there.”
“I never got a bad feeling from (Purcell),” Marissa said. “Unfortunately, I guess our gut instinct was wrong.”
Shamim Huq was in court because of a dog that was originally a stray in his neighborhood. Huq said he and his wife were unable to get near the dog, but she had “a very sad face” and they were taking her treats.
“He was staying in someone’s front yard and we contacted the gentleman living there and he said Harris County was trying to pick her up and we said let us know if they do,” Huq said.
A month ago, Harris County Animal Control picked up the stray and the neighbor notified Huq, who then contacted Harris County. The dog could not be released directly to Huq and his wife, so they found Spindletop and took her to Leah Purcell.
“We were not very comfortable at the time with the facilities, but we never got to see what was inside,” Huq said. “We left a crate and she needed a bigger crate so two weeks later we stopped by again and provided a bigger crate.”
“We paid $900,” he said. “We have a contract (Purcell) said included all veterinary care, meals and everything and then we would have until September 15 before we could pick her up.”
Purcell told the Huqs the chip Harris County put in the dog was not there, and she was pregnant. Purcell promised to help get the puppies adopted.
“This was very hard on us,” he said. “My wife couldn’t be here today.”
Sharon Shepherd said she had known about Spindletop for years and had taken other rescued dogs there. The latest was dropped off on May 14 for evaluation and boarding.
“Spindletop always had a fabulous reputation and I had no idea anything was going on, otherwise I would’ve never taken him,” Shepherd said.
She was only allowed at Leah’s house to drop off the dog, she said, and was unable to go to the two-story home or the garage in back.
“Everything you could see around the house and other dogs in cages was clean,” Shepherd said. “The dogs looked good, there were no red flags.”
But Shepherd never saw the other buildings. Purcell asked for $750, but Shepherd gave her $800 for evaluation and boarding for three months.
Chris Jenkins, who does rescues in Missouri City, said Purcell has helped her “many, many times” with dogs and she was perplexed at the whole situation. Jenkins said she did not know what happened at Spindletop. She had been in the smaller and larger houses on location, but that was about four years ago and everything was fine, she said. Purcell was highly recommended at that time and her mother was helping with the work. Seeing Purcell’s mother in court on Friday, Jenkins said she was having trouble getting around and did not see how she could still be helping with the dogs.
Jenkins was surprised to learn the number of dogs inside the two-story house and the conditions described.
“I don’t even know how that many dogs could fit,” Jenkins said. “I don’t know what happened, but it’s inexcusable.”
Jenkins also expressed anger that Purcell had horses and cows that still looked good, but the dogs were in such reportedly poor condition.
Scott Mularfky said he found Spindletop when he was no longer able to afford his home and had to move to an apartment complex that did not allow Pit Bulls. He had to board his dog temporarily and placed him with Purcell about six months ago, hoping at some point to find a place where he could have the dog and move. Mularfky already paid Purcell over $1,100, he said.
“I’ve had the dog for 14 years,” Mularfky said. “He’s part of the family and he needs to come home.”
Mularfky said he spoke to Leah Purcell Thursday night after he called and left a message trying to find his dog and someone called him back to say he could retrieve his dog from Montgomery County Animal Control. However, Mularfky said that was not the only reason his call was returned.
“She told me when I go pick him up to tell them he’s in better shape than when I dropped him off and I’m not going to save Leah from the charges she’s got coing against her – I’m not,” he said. “I’m sure he’s in worse shape than when I dropped him off.”
Kim Gavens said she did a lot of research with animal organizations before placing her dog at Spindletop and talked to numerous people who highly recommended Purcell.
“I had no worries whatsoever,” Gavens said. “If anybody told me any controversy or if I’d had any worry, I wouldn’t have taken her.”
Gavens said Purcell used the heat as an excuse not to show her the kennels, saying she did not want to open and close the doors too much and let the cool air out. Gavens said she found that strange, but since Purcell was highly recommended, she overlooked it. That is, until a friend sent her a message asking where she placed her dog and she learned about the seizure.
“I was devastated,” Gavens said. “I hoped my dog was okay.”
Because Gavens’ dog, Sweetie, was so scared, Purcell said she was placing Sweetie inside the house until she was “more calm and situated.”
Gavens said she hoped if Sweetie was in the house with Leah, it was air conditioned.
“I just want to know the dog’s alive,” Gavens said. “If it’s alive, I can deal with it.”
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