AR-News: (PA - US) Timeline of Esh, the notorious Amish puppy miller

Sat Apr 24 19:07:44 EDT 2004

To understand how truly ineffective the laws are when trying to close down a 
known puppy miller like Daniel Esh one needs only to review the number and 
magnitude of violations that Esh has survived.  Fact is the laws do little to 
protect the dogs that are forced to endure frigid cold winters and hot summers in 
poorly ventilated kennels.
This information was shared from someone very close to the investigation.  I 
am sharing it so that you too may get a little more understanding with the 
obstacles that prevent the closing of many of the Amish puppy mill kennels in 
Lancaster County.  I have also watched in utter dismay and disgust the nine 
minute video taken at Esh's kennel.  
It is unbelievable that a civilized society would tolerate such pathetic care 
of animals who have been equated to being "our best friends."  We owe it to 
the victims of this constant and never ending abuse to find a way to a solution 
that will stop this horror.  It all begins with sharing what we know.
Timeline of Esh’s troubles during the past eight years:
ss=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-RIGHT: -0.5in"> September 1996
Officials quarantined Clearview Kennel after a dog, which had been bought 
from Esh's kennel, bit a child and was found to have rabies.

September 1997
Pa State Attorney General sued Daniel P. Esh and his father, John Esh, for 
selling hundreds of dogs without a license. 

Findings taken from USDA Inspection Reports:

October 7, 1998: 353 dogs

I class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-RIGHT: -0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; 
tab-stops: list .5in">Poodle has majority of her teeth missing, including all 
molars and pre-molars. Dog is in outdoor group enclosures and is receiving hard 
food. 
Several dogs are matted and in need of grooming, especially the Bichons. 
Multiple dogs have long nails in need of trimming. 
Spray bottle containing KEROSENE is on 
top of first enclosure in upper whelping room. Owner stated the kerosene is 
sprayed on the floor of the whelping pens to discourage insects. Kerosene is 
particularly irritating to the skin and mucous membranes and not approved for 
this type of use. January 28,1999: 375 dogs

rdana size=2>Outdoor enclosure housing 4 dogs has detached metal edging 
around entrance to shelter. 

Outdoor freestanding enclosure housing 3 dogs has a 6" x 9" hole. 
Enclosure housing 2 dogs has broken and protruding wire on floor. 
Dogs are not being provided with minimum amount of floor space. Numerous 
NCI's include: enclosure housing 4 poodles measured 24" by 63" (poodle measuring 
15 inches requires 3.0 sq. feet of floor space); enclosure housing 4 dogs 
measured 10.5 sq feet (Westie measuring 20" requires 4.69 sq. feet, and Schipperke 
measuring 16", requires 3.36 sq. feet) 
Dogs not compatible were housed together: Rottweiler was roughly grabbing two 
smaller white dogs; adult male dog in cage with 3 puppies. 
Used syringes, shaving blades, food items, piles of carpeting, and wooden 
doors on top of cages. Live mice and droppings seen on floors. 
Yorkshire Terrier and Poodle died since last inspection; attending 
veterinarian was not consulted on condition of these dogs. Attending veterinarian HAS 
NOT BEEN OUT TO THIS FACILITY SINCE 11/97. 
Several dogs still matted and in need of grooming. March 24, 1999: 338 dogs

Several holes still present in walls of whelping building #1; holes need to 
be closed to prevent entrance of rodents. Broken window on back wall. 

Chewed and worn wooden resting boards in 4 enclosures need to be removed or 
replaced; the boards can no longer be readily cleaned or sanitized. 
5 Yellow Labs in one enclosure do not have minimum required floor space. 
Cannot house more than two Labs in this size enclosure. 
Active mouse nests and droppings seen in numerous areas including cage tops. 
style="MARGIN-RIGHT: -0.5in"> December 2, 1999: 376 dogs  

Heating Violations: The ambient temperature must not fall below 50 degrees F. 
for breeds of dogs that cannot tolerate lower temperatures without stress and 
discomfort. Temperature inside lower building housing 114 dogs was 45 degrees 
F. at 3:30 p.m. on December 1, 1999. Heaters were not present in this room. 
This room houses a variety of breeds including small, shorthaired breeds. 
(Heaters were then installed and the temperature was recorded at 55 degrees on 
December 2, 1999.) 
Outdoor enclosures had broken floor wire; detached floor wire; holes in 
wooden sides of boxes.  March 2, 2000: 364 dogs  

="MARGIN-RIGHT: -0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in">King 
Charles Spaniel must be examined by attending veterinarian. Left eye has 
corneal opacity; right eye has drainage. 
Male pug is lame in both legs; animal was dragging both legs when walking; 
nails were overgrown to the point of curling. Attending veterinarian must 
examine this dog. Several dogs are matted and 
in need of grooming, especially the Maltese. 
Enclosure housing 3 dogs has broken floor wire; enclosure housing 4 dogs has 
detached and sagging floor wire in middle of run. 
Enclosure housing 2 Mastiffs has sagging wire on top of enclosure; enclosure 
housing 1 Retriever and 1 Westie has hole in floor of shelter. 
Enclosure housing nine dogs has chewed wooden support on top above shelter 
box. One Westie escaped enclosure during inspection. 
Enclosure housing six King Charles Spaniels has excessive fecal accumulation 
on top of rest board. March 8, 2000: 366 dogs

King Charles Spaniel is being treated for eye infection. 
Pug was euthanized on 3/7/00.  December 6, 2000: 446 dogs  

Broken window in lower whelping room; trash, waste material and discarded 
items, old equipment, lumber, cinder blocks (and more) are piled in and behind 
dog enclosures. 
Open food bags and food containers are evident and must be sealed. Rodent 
droppings are present. 
Two bottles of Clorox were stored on top of dog food. Chemicals and subs
tances that are toxic to dogs cannot be stored in food storage areas. 
Enclosures housing puppies has sagging floor wire; detached and broken wire 
evident. 
Protruding and broken floor wire in six enclosures, each housing 2-4 dogs.  
August 14, 2001: (Number of animals not listed.)  

Repeat NCI's of General Housing and indoor housing facilities; to be 
corrected by 12-1-01. 
Repeat NCI's re: cleaning, sanitization, housekeeping and pest control. To be 
corrected by 10-14-01. 
Pest control to be corrected by 8-24-01. (Note: no follow-up inspection 
reports to ensure NCI's were corrected were provided.)  February 7, 2002: 486 dogs  

Esh was warned of having the same alleged violations on his last two 
inspections and was “given the opportunity to correct these violations or face legal 
action.”  

Expired medication found; must be removed and properly disposed of. Dealer 
shall establish and maintain programs of adequate veterinary care that include 
the use of appropriate methods to prevent, control, diagnose, and treat 
diseases and injuries. 
Several dogs are matted, especially the Bichons and Yorkies. Matted dogs need 
to be groomed. 
Several dogs have excessively long nails, especially the Bichons in the 
outdoor enclosures. 
Holes are present in the wall and cinder block of the adult holding room. Rat 
droppings are present on the floor and tops of enclosures. 
IN-RIGHT: -0.5in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in">Shelters in 
outdoor facilities for dogs must contain clean, dry bedding if the ambient 
temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Majority of the outdoor shelters had 
no bedding. Temperature was 38 degrees F. during inspection. (Bedding was 
then provided.)  July 24, 2002: 465 dogs 

NCI regarding the storage of food and shavings. January 28, 2003: 462 dogs 

Three brown outdoor shelters did not have bedding present. Temperature was 
bidi-font-weight: normal">10 degrees Fahrenheit at time of inspection. “Shelters 
in outdoor facilities for dogs must have clean dry bedding material if the 
ambient temperature is below 50 degrees F. Additional clean, dry bedding is 
required when the temperature is 35 degrees F. 
Upper whelping building has empty whelping boxes which contain old bedding, 
rodent droppings and feces. They must be cleaned to determine the effectiveness 
of pest control program. 
First whelping enclosure in upper whelping building has veterinary supplies, 
plastic container and other items stored on top of whelping box. Rodent 
droppings are present around these items. 
Supplies, containers and lumber need to be removed from tops of animal 
enclosures. Housekeeping need to be improved to eliminate breeding and living areas 
for rodents. March 13, 2003: Number of dogs not listed. 
· One Pug in pen 22, first floor, had a prolapse at the time of inspection. The owner stated that this was a 
uterine prolapse and had just reached this stage of development. This animal needs veterinary care. Correct by 14 
March 2003.
· A LARGE NUMBER of longhaired dogs, especially Yorkie, Bichon and 
Poodle dogs had matted hair that interfered with their functions and cleanliness. All dogs need to be groomed, clipped 
and have their nails trimmed regularly to prevent injury and disease. Outside 
dogs may have to be trimmed in sieges; owner was clipping dogs inside at time 
of inspection. 
Animals must be identified by tags or collars:
· Puppies under the age of 16 weeks, were not identified: Shih Tzu, 
Pug and Bichons.
·NT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> Animals over the age of 16 weeks were 
not identified as required: Yorkies, Poodles, Spaniels. Shih Tzus and Jack 
Russells. 
Housing facilities must be constructed so they are structurally sound to 
protect animals from injury and restrict other animals from entering:
· Insulation is protruding from the ceiling in the upper whelping 
building near the drug cabinet and holes were present in the lower housing area 
at the west end. The ceiling needs to be sealed to prevent leakage of 
insulation and rodent harborage.
· The partition between kennels 2 and 3, with 5 Bichon…had broken 
wire near the floor that could cause injury to the dogs.

·         Space between the box and the wire kennel on the NW corner of the 
lower east building was large enough to allow the dogs to get between and 
possibly cause injury.<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">
-0.5in; mso-list: l12 level1 lfo13; tab-stops: list 57.0pt; 
mso-margin-top-alt: 0in">·         Holes were present in the boxes of the kennels 25 & 28 of 
the lower building and could cause injury to the dogs by allowing feet to pass 
through.<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">
·tyle="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">         The third outside pen contained 
5 Bichons, of which one was significantly larger and would not exit the 
shelter which had 5.4 usable square feet. Pen 38 housing 7 Spaniels, pen 39 housing 
6 Bichons, pen 40 housing 7 Bichons, also do not allow enough shelter as 
required. The animals need to be provided shelter that does not require them to be 
on tip of each other to assure that all have access. (These animals were 
redistributed at the time of inspection.)<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">
·         Doors on pen 39, 47, 49 were broken and did not provide a break 
from the weather. Pen closest to the building also did not have a door and it 
housed 5 dogs. Temperature at time of inspection was 47 degrees F. 
       All violations were to be corrected by March 28, 2003, but there is no 
record that indicates if there was a re-inspection or follow-up. 
May 12, 2003- Number of dogs not listed. 
FOUR PAGE INSPECTION REPORT THAT LISTS REPEAT NCI’S IN AREAS OF VETERINARIAN 
CARE, IDENTIFICATION, HOUSING, INCLUDING PRIMARY ENCLOSURES, AND EXERCISE! 

There are still a number of longhaired dogs with matted hair that interferes 
with their functions and cleanliness. The worse dogs are as follows: 
1) Lower holding building, row #1, pen #2, white dog with clumps of mats al 
over.
2) Lower holding building, row #1, pens #4 & 5, larger white dogs have clumps 
of mats all over with fecal material around the anal area.
ZE: 11pt">3) Lower holding building, row #1, pen #8, larger white dog has 
clumps of mats all over.
4) Lower holding building, row #4, end enclosure, Shih Tzu is severely matted.

5) Lower whelping building, pen #11, Westie is soiled and stained in rear 
quarters.
6) Outside tan enclosure, 3rd enclosure from building, longhaired dogs has 
large rolls of mats over its entire body. 
The following outdated/expired drugs are present in the whelping building: 
Gentamacin sulfate 12/02; Panalog ointment 5/01; Nemex 2/99; Agricillian 1/03 
and Cestex 2/02. The use of expired veterinary products does not constitute 
adequate veterinary care under the Animal Welfare Act. 
Repeat NCI – Identification of animals: 24 dogs and puppies were not 
identified, no date of birth or dam information on many puppies.  
erdana size=2>Repeat NCI – Housing: Six puppies are being housed in a shed 
type building which is full of clutter and stored items.  
Repeat NCI – Outdoor Housing: Several outdoor shelters have too many dogs 
present to allow dogs to sit, stand and lie in a normal manner at one time. Pens 
39 housed 5 Bichons; pen 40 housed 7 Bichons; pens 41 & 48 housed 6 Bichons. 
These pens did not allow enough shelter space as required by law. A brown 
free-standing shelter by building housing 5 dogs has 2 large receptacles inside the 
shelter; there is not enough floor space inside this shelter to hold all the 
dogs comfortably.

The doors of pens 39, 47 and 49 are 
STILL broken and do not provide adequate wind breaks from weather. Two shelters 
against the building do not have wind and rain breaks at the entrances. Pens 
102 & 103 do not have wind or rain breaks at the entrance. A total of 22 dogs 
are housed without adequate wind and rain breaks. 
Repeat NCI - Primary Enclosures: The following enclosures are STILL in need 
of repair to protect the dogs from injury. (These items were previously cited 
on March 13, 2003.)

1) Lower holding building, row #1, pens 7 & 8, housing 5 dogs, have broken 
wire on partition near floor that could cause injury to the dogs.
2) Lower holding building, row 6, pens 6-7 with 2 dogs has chewed floor and 
protruding nails. 
3) Lower holding building, pen 25 with 4 dogs has hole in floor of shelter. 
Front door has broken wire.
4) Lower whelping, pen 11 with 4 dogs has detached wire floor in middle of 
the enclosure.
5) Lower whelping, pen 13, with 5 dogs had broken wire on floor with sharp 
points.
6) Lower holding building, row 7, pen 7-7 with 3 dogs has chewed wooden 
flooring with protruding nails. 
7) Outdoor red shelter against building with 3 dogs has protruding screws on 
floor near entrance. 
FLOORING: Upper whelping, enclosure housing 4 Yorkies on 1.5” x 1.5” wire 
floor. Smallest Yorkie is having trouble walking on wire floor; its feet were 
observed going through the wire openings. 
SPACE: Upper whelping, row 3, white enclosure, 22” x 23” is housing Bichon 
who is 18 inches long and requires at least 576 square inches of floor space. 
This dog is housed in an enclosure which provides only 506 square inches. 

EXERCISE: Dogs are housed individually in enclosures that provide less than 
two times the required floor space with the opportunity for exercise: Bichons 
and Poodles are 16 inches and are housed in enclosures measuring 22” x 23”. 
The enclosures provide 506 square inches of floor space. The dog(s) requires 968 
square inches of floor space if it is not to be released for exercise. 

All items to be corrected by May 13, 2004. 

lass=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-RIGHT: -0.5in">We’re sure none of these items 
were ever corrected, nor are they likely to be, because this was the final USDA 
inspection and report. On July 29, 2003, Daniel Esh voluntarily surrendered 
his USDA Class B dealer’s license. He claims he gave up his license because he 
no longer “wholesales, only retails” his dogs. We’re also certain this is not 
true. We know there are numerous illegal, unlicensed pet shop owners and 
individuals (brokers) who drive to Lancaster County and other Pennsylvania puppy 
mills on a regular basis to buy “litter lots” (whole litters of puppies) for 
resale. 

June 6, 2003 – 9 minute videotape of the inside of Esh’s Clearview Kennel is 
turned over to Last Chance for Animals. 
July 29, 2003 – Esh withdraws his USDA license. 
January 2004 – State Licensed denied

oNormal style="MARGIN-RIGHT: -0.5in">March 2004 – Guilty conviction in Gap, 
Pa Municipal Court

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