Finally we have some news on the Ferris, TX shelter pets who were taken to an undisclosed location under cover of night by shelter director James “Soaring Eagle” Vonda last month. The news is not good:
James “Soaring Eagle” Vonda was arrested at his home in Leonard, where witnesses described squalid conditions and 65 emaciated dogs, 10 cats and a horse at the property.
Melinda Pappa, 45, Yolanda Duke, 46, and Cody Sims, 22, also were arrested at the home in the 800 block of Flanagan Road in Fannin County and jailed on animal-cruelty charges.
“The animal conditions here are very sad,” said Maura Davies, a spokeswoman for the SPCA.
Dogs nursing open wounds were left tethered, and sickly cats were running loose or cramped into pet carriers.
Piles of charred animal carcasses were found in burn barrels throughout the 6.5-acre property.
“In one you can see the top half of a cat. In one, there’s kittens,” Davies said.
This would seem to contradict Mr. Vonda – who seeks “slaves” and “submissives” online for entry into his tribe – and his account of the pets:
“They all are in very good health right now,” Vonda said in an April interview with The Dallas Morning News.
Apparently to Mr. Vonda, “very good health” is another way of saying “We’re starving them on chains and tossing them into barrels for burning”.
At least now I know why Cody Sims hasn’t left any comments on my blog lately. I hope anyone found guilty in this cruelty case serves jail time and I wish them “very good health”.