BRENDA MACKENZIE accused of trying to run an unlicensed shelter out of her home
- voiceforus
- Apr 8, 2022
- 2 min read
- Maine, USA -
On Thursday, April 7, officials seized dogs and cats from a York County home.
Authorities said that BRENDA MACKENZIE (pictured) is accused of trying to run an unlicensed shelter out of her home on 58 Sanford Road in Alfred.
MACKENZIE, director of “Saving Lives Animal Shelter” denies any mistreatment of the animals in her care.
Jim Britt, spokesperson for Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, in an email to NEWS CENTER Maine said: “I cannot disclose many investigation details, but I can say failed inspections and failures to comply with the standards established by the department for licensed animal shelters led to today's seizure of dogs and cats.”
According to NEWS CENTER Maine, Maine Animal Welfare program along with Maine State Police served a warrant and removed a total of 47 animals, 7 cats, 27 rescue dogs, and 13 dogs who were MACKANZIE’s.
To this regard, there are discrepancies with the number of furbabies removed from the property.
MACKENZIE says she understands if the state wants to take the shelter animals, but she's upset they took her personal dogs away.
She told WGME: “I just don’t feel like this was handled correctly. I feel like if they wanted to take the rescue dogs, I more than volunteered to let them do that. That, I wasn’t trying to keep dogs. That, I was spending thousands of dollars in food and medicine trying to get everyone healthy and do the things they told me to do before I could adopt them.”
As reported by NEWS CENTER Maine, according to town minutes, MACKENZIE’s shelter has been the center of controversy for months, .
In January 2022, York County deputies hand-delivered a letter to MACKENZIE “notifying her she had 30 days to become in compliance or legal action would be filed.”
On February 1, town officials were told the facility was not an animal shelter and that was fostering dogs.
One week later, the Alfred Board of Selectmen was told state officials were at the unlicensed facility that day because a case of Parvo had been detected.
In March, town officials said they consulted legal counsel.
NEWS CENTER Maine reports that MACKENZIE “described herself as a responsible dog owner and claimed her animals are all up to date on vaccines and are well fed and have space to be outside in a fenced-in yard.”
While MACKENZIE is hoping to get her animals back soon, Maine State Police said charges are pending.
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Additional Source:
I hope they commit to throughly check this ‘rescue’ service. Animals do not deserve to be rescued from one desperate situation only to end up in yet another with no oversight. Thanks for removing these Precious Souls, please do not get complacent with any of them in their future.