NYC Mayor's Alliance for Animals NYCACC and ASPCA killed these dogs

On January 31, 2005, the shocking discovery of 4 sick and starving dogs was made during a raid at the Hearts and Homes Shelter of Brooklyn, NY. Following the raid, founder Mel Salamone led AC&C officials to his van in Sunset Park, where he turned over the corpse of a brown-and-white male pit bull “encrusted with urine and feces,” according to an ASPCA official, who said that Salamone later told investigators that two other dogs were in veterinary care. In the course of the next few weeks it came out that a total of 10 dogs and 3 cats had died at the shelter! Most slowly starved and left to rot in Cociddia stained feces and urine filled crates. Following an investigation by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Salamone was arrested on February 23, and charged with “overdriving, torturing and injuring animals and failure to provide proper sustenance for animals resulting in 11 counts of cruelty, punishable by not more than one year of incarceration to be served concurrently.

Four long months earlier, on November 4th, 2004, I, Laurie Bleier first contacted the ASPCA and the Mayor's Alliance for Animals to alert them that the animals in the shelter were in grave danger. I also began this website as a means of exposing a situation that I believed rightly could only end in tragedy.

The New York City Animal Care and Control, The ASPCA and the Mayor's Alliance for Animals, the VERY PEOPLE who took credit for rescuing the surviving 4 dogs at the shelter, in an article by the Daily News, are in fact the very people responsible for their deaths and sickness. Due to their inability to act on the most obvious examples of death and neglect presented to them on the following pages they are explicitly to blame for their deaths.

The New York City Animal Care and Control, The ASPCA AND the Mayor's Alliance for Animals WERE INFORMED OF THE HORRIFIC CONDITIONS AT THE SHELTER in early November, not only in written word and through the gruesome photographs displayed on this web site, but through a highly coordinated fax campaign and weekly phone calls that were never returned, emails that were discarded and through the voices of the many people who called their offices on behalf of the dogs. These organizations chose to ignore our warnings and did not act until it was too late. And I BLAME these organizations for the death and undeniable suffering that these dogs endured. These organizations also ignored the fact that Mel Salamone, shelter president was being openly investigated for missappropriation of close to $30,000.

“This is going to get covered up,” Sara Whalen, Director of Pets Alive a sanctuary that rescued 11 dogs and the 5 surviving cats from the shelter in early December, said. “This is bigger than Hearts and Homes. "Lots of organizations were contacted, like the ASPCA,” but none stepped in soon enough," Whalen charged. Gary Kaskel, director of the United Fund for Animals, an advocacy group, said it appeared to be a failure of the ACC and ASPCA to respond to inquiries. " Several local newspapers wrote about this ongoing story and related website and I had even discussed it with employee friends of mine at the Linden Blvd. AC&C.

"These dogs were starved to death. Slowly. Intentionally. With bags of perfectly good food inches from their helpless faces. Over weeks and weeks. While Julie Van Ness, who anointed herself the Hearts and Homes "shelter reform advocate", was overseeing this shelter." said Mike Pergola and ex-volunteer of the Hearts and Homes group. Mr. Pergola brought in a check for $10,000 from a 9-11 fireman's widow to purchase the shelter's stainless steel crates. The dogs died in those crates filled with stinking diarrhea brought on by advanced stages of Coccidia. Coccidia, a parasite almost unheard of in healthy, adult dogs living in sanitary conditions.

I was associated with Hearts and Homes as a fundraiser until October of this past year. I resigned. They did not disassociate themselves from me. In fact, Mel Salamone the founder and Todd Puma the shelter operator begged me to stay on while other ex-members of the organization begged me to leave. There was no falling out.

I simply called Todd the Monday after I went to the shelter on a Sunday to see how construction was coming along. I had started getting calls from some of the many people who offered to help at the new shelter. Many of the calls were not pleasant and I became concerned. "What kind of shelter doesn't need help?" one angrily asked me. When I arrived at the shelter, I was shocked at the utter lack of progress. The filth, the stench from the lack of a ventilation system that Todd promised me week after week would be installed. The broken glass on the floor. Most shocking was the discovery of Todd's own dog lying there, sick from septic poisoning, tucked away in a corner, for what he said was a period of two days.

The time frame now is late September. The animals, of which I was told there were over twenty, were living in Todd's apartment and were just being moved into the shelter. I had only met a few of them as Todd would only show the same two or three dogs, one a day at the table.

Now feeling a hostage to this nightmarish situation -- fundraising for a shelter being run by Todd Puma, an obvious negligent caretaker, I worried what would happen to the animals if I didn't continue to raise funds. How would the animals eat? How would we make rent? And the dual fear that the money was not being spent correctly. Not even a ventilation system for the shelter, after raising $1000s of dollars.

I was becoming frantic. I confided in Mike Pergola that I couldn't work with these people anymore. And he gave me the moral permission to quit. And then came the call from Todd Puma's neighbor Ray. Ray showed me photographs taken at Todd Puma's abandoned apartment where he kept the dogs before moving them into the shelter. He showed me pictures of plastic and flimsey iron crates filled with excrement and maggots. He told me about the stench, the flies, the fleas, the dead turtles and the birds Todd and his wife Jamie abandoned to starve and die from thirst. I was horrified. Not just at what I had seen in the photos and on a personal tour of the apartment, which included a New York Post reporter and photographer, but at the prospect that the animals were still under the Puma's care within the organization that I just resigned from. I realized now why Todd refused outside help. The pattern of neglect, and sheer laziness I saw at the apartment was becoming obvious at the shelter and he could not possibly open it to the public. It would mean he would have to clean, and caretaker, and in my opinion he just was too lazy, uncaring and incapable of the care of animals.

By then I began to investigate more closely where all the money had gone. I revisited for a closer look 3 months worth of bank statements Mel had given me to satisfy the bank request that would allow the organization to get online donations at the heartsandhomes.org web site. I hadn't looked closely as I should have. I looked only at routing numbers and whatever else the bank needed. Upon closer inspection I saw that many of the withdrawals were being made from Mastic, Long Island where Mel Salamone disappeared to over a year ago. Myself and Mike Pergola were under the impression that Mr. Salamone would have no access to Hearts and Homes funds. I began to add it all up and called Mel. I told him if I couldn't see all the financial statements I would go to the authorities. This was misappropriation of funds and embezzlement. I met with them and glanced through the papers enough to realize that much of the money I pulled in was squandered on non shelter items like mortgage and utility bills at Mel's Long Island home. Money was spent on a non shelter personal use automobile. ATM withdrawals of $100, $200, $140. On and on. I fled the place where I met them and never looked back.

I began this online warning system on November 6, 2004, two days after my first ugent call to the ASPCA and AC&C and 2 days after my first plea-mail to the New York Mayor's Alliance. The following documents the utter failure of New York CIty's animal welfare agencies and others to intervene before it was to late.

November 6, 2004
FUNDRAISER BLOWS THE WHISTLE ON HEARTS AND HOMES FOR HOMELESS DOGS OF BROOKLYN.

After raising $39,728.62+ including a $10,000 check donated by a World Trade Center Fireman's widow and putting $8,000 of my own money into the Hearts and Homes for Homeless Animals of Brooklyn shelter at 908 McDonald Avenue, I, Laurie Bleier say I wouldn't leave my own dog there if it was the last facility on the planet.

Back in June when I put down the first months rent and deposit (totaling $4,400.00) I envisioned a volunteer-driven, community based organization. I worked tirelessly with many volunteers to raise money to put in a ventilation system (required by law and humanity to keep the dogs and cats safe), to buy insurance to allow volunteers to enter the building without liability, to put in dog runs in the back yard, to put in lighting and many other things that would have made for a safe shelter. To this day, none of these things have been purchased.

My suspicions were raised by the complaints of many people who had called shelter operator Todd Puma to volunteer but were told he didn't need any volunteers.

On Thursday, October 21, Lawyer Glen Meyers, volunteer Mike Leggere and I entered the building with a set of keys knowing the building would be empty. What we saw there was enough to bring me to tears. Every crate with an animal in it was full of urine. The dogs were soaking wet. There were no toys, food water or bedding in any. The shelter reeked from lack of a ventilation system. Large dogs were put in crates that they could not even stand up in. The cats were in the back in pitch black. Two cats were stuffed into one carrier. One dog, Luke, shown below, was so thin we took him out and he is now living in my home. (Addendum: Luke was adopted 3 weeks later by a wonderful family from New Jersey).

Luke, two weeks later. Vet Tech Susan (named changed) told me she treated Luke at the shelter for two weeks for chemical burns received before entering. She told me that his bandages were always soaked in urine every time she went to change them. She told Todd Puma, ex-shelter director to keep him out of the crate which he did not comply with.

The bed that they sleep on reeked from urine. If this is their standard of living how much can we expect them to care about the dog's standard?

I called shelter founder Mel Salamone and told him that if I cannot see where the money went I would go to the authorities. The next day he, his wife Rosan and Todd Puma met me in a restaurant with the year's banking statements. From May to October, I noted large amounts of money withdrawn. Thousands could not be accounted for. They brought me only 15 checks out of a series of 100. Where are the other 85 checks I asked. "Somewhere" Todd responded, "I'm not that organized". It seems that Mel had been going to the ATM almost daily where he lives in Mastic, withdrawing funds even though he has nothing to do with the shelter anymore. Mel hasn't shown up at a single board meeting. He went into the salvage business. Below view ATM withdrawals from near where he lives on Long Island.

Todd promised me that Mel did not have access to these funds months ago when I began raising funds. When asked about one $7,000 withdrawal Mel admitted he used it to pay down the mortgage on his home. They would not let me have the statements.

Today, it is November 6, the "shelter operator" Todd Puma and his wife are living in the shelter and have changed the locks. Today there is less than $2,000 in the bank account and they have not even paid the $2,200 rent for November. I do not have access to these funds. I am in touch with the Attorney General's Charities division, the District Attorney's Office and the ASPCA Law Enforcement division. The ASPCA is a no kill shelter and I pray the animals will all find homes. (Addendum: there is now $1,582. in the bank.) I fear they will be evicted and I don't know what will happen to the animals.

A soaking wet St. Bernard. Can't stand up in his own crate. No bowl for water, no toys, no attention. A dog would have to go many hours before he would urinate in his own crate. Because there are no volunteers there this is the result.

I found these in the corporate papers that Mel left at my house months ago. The first was $2,000 for a private car that has nothing to do with Hearts and Homes. Mel drives it on Long Island. The second to pay his mortgage on his house. How many animals could have been saved with this sum of money? Addendum: See more checks by clicking here.

Should people who live like this in an apartment be allowed to run a shelter?

The neighbor of Todd and Jamie's last landlord called me on Friday. He took these photographs of Todd's apartment where apparently they were keeping the dogs in the most horrific conditions I have ever seen. If this is how they live in their apartment can you imagine how they will live in the shelter. They left this place a couple of weeks ago and moved into the shelter and changed the locks to the shelter. Here are the pictures:

More pictures taken later. This is what they put animals into. Caked with excement. How can these people be trusted with animals.

This is the mess they left behind at the apartment. These were the crates they kept up to 23 dogs in. Notice the excrement and urine stains. Notice the 2 parrots they left behind. The birds and the turtles were left for 4 days without food or water. They survived and were placed with a pet shop in the area. Thank Heaven there are shor-line crates at the shelter that we used the $10,000 Widow's donation to buy. Look at how he kept these animals. It's sickening.

There three turtles in a filthy tank. One was already dead. The other 2 were fed and cleaned up

Look at the condition of this crate. Excrement and urine fill the crate and is all over the floor of this ruined apartment. The neighbor who took these shots said he saw urine stains in the apartment below that had leaked into the apartment through the floorboards.

The hallway leading to the apartment. People who live like this should have no access to animals.

These are bags of excrement. When you look in the bags you can see they are crawling with maggots. Apparently Mel knew how the Pumas lived yet he left them in charge of the shelter.

When Lawyer Glen Meyers, Mike L and myself went into the shelter on October 21, we saw this pattern continuing at the shelter. Broken florescent glass all over the backyard, Piles of nail laden wood the dogs have access to. Urine reeked bed, ruined computer that was left on the floor.

They are down to under $1,000 now and they have not paid November's rent. There is no heat in the shelter or hot water. I fear for the dog's safety and implore all animal rescue organizations to be on standby for when they are evicted.

Go to the Hearts and Homes Petfinder section. Call Todd Puma at 718 216-2364. Do not mention that you read this page or heard about this controversy. Just tell him you would like to foster a dog or cat. Let's get all the animals out of the shelter. Call me at 917-754-3537 if he let's you take one and I will help you place it through Petfinder.com. If he refused to give you a dog ask him the following questions. Ask him about his dog Roxie. She lay septic in the shelter for two and half days. He finally took her in to the emergency hospital the night I happened to come by and noticed her there in a corner out of view. She lay there in the corner, no bedding, no blanket. I thought she was dead. Call 718 748-5180. The hospital he came from. Ask him about the dog JO JO who died of a heatstroke in his over 100 degree apartment the same month he asked me to give him $500 for air conditioning bills.

To the good people of Brooklyn who attended any of the shelter benefits this summer or who have put money into a collection bottle, my apologies. These people must be stopped. I cannot afford to put any more money into the shelter. If there is any way that we can keep it open we will. To add your voice to the chorus call the District Attorney's office at 718-250-2600. If you have any stories to relate as evidence please e-mail me at lbleier@nyc.rr.com. If you have any idea how we can keep the shelter alive please e-mail me at lbleier@nyc.rr.com or call me at the number below. Pray for the animals.

Julie Van Ness Hearts and Homes Animal Shelter of Brooklyn, Mel Salamone Julie Van Ness Shelter Reform Advocate ASPCA AC&C Mayor's Alliance for Animals Animal Care and Control NYC Sara Whalen Pets Alive PetsAlive.com