citation_inspection: 40134

Opie, a four-year-old neutered male corgi dog in good physical condition per the consignor and transporter was accepted for consigned transport at approximately 6:50 PM ET on 30December2022 in Townsend, Delaware. The dog was transported in a crate in the transporter’s minivan. The dog was delivered to the receiver in Jesup, Iowa on 05January2023. The consignor and receiver had been told by the transporter that the transport would take approximately 2 days. The distance between the two locations is approximately 1040 miles, yet the transport took 5 days. The consignor and the receiver became concerned about the length of time the transporter was taking, as covered in the Field Service Report generated by the Captain of the Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS) Animal Welfare Division, dated 06April2023. The dog was found cold, stiff, and clearly deceased when the transporter and receiver opened the crate together in the transporter’s van at the receiver’s site in the midmorning of 05January2023. The transporter was unaware that the dog had died while in his possession. This information was verified by the transporter and the Iowa receiver. During a two-hour phone conversation between the transporter, the Animal Care Transportation Specialist, and the Inspector on 07June2023 at 1 pm ET, the transporter was asked to provide information about when he conducted the required every four-hour observations of the dog. The transporter stated that he had no records of when he observed the dog in the back of his minivan and that he was unaware of this observation time requirement. He stated that he did not remember how often he looked at the dog in his minivan and made several conflicting statements. At different times he said five hours, eight hours, and that he was uncertain of how often he checked on him. He stated that the dog was being transported in his minivan without the back seats. Toward the end of the 5-day transport, he stated that he did not check the dog after departing the last truck stop where he had stopped to sleep. He did not check the dog before going into the facility receiving the dog and spent about an hour inside the facility. He stated that it was probably six to eight hours from the last time he checked the dog to when the dog was found dead in its kennel at the receiver’s site. The necropsy’s determination that the animal had been dead at least 12 hours serves as a strong indication that the transporter was not observing the animal as required by the AWA. By not conducting the required every four hours or more often observations, the transporter did not observe the dog going into distress. The lack of these observations led to the starvation and dehydration death of the dog prior to delivery to the receiver. The regulations state that the operator of the conveyance or a person accompanying the operator observes the dog as often as circumstances allow, but not less than once every 4 hours, to make sure they have sufficient air for normal breathing, that the ambient temperature is within the limits provided in 3.16(e), and that all applicable standards of this subpart are being complied with. The regulated person must ensure that the operator or person accompanying the operator determines whether the dog is in obvious physical distress and obtains any veterinary care needed for the dog at the closest available veterinary facility. Correct by 20June2023.