The AR Just Keep On Slithering Up The Animal Use Chain..........
 From An All Animal Use List Comes..........
 
 AWARE has reported several goat dairy herds taken, harassment charges and such the last several years. In every case very few if anyone came forward. Now it's moved up the food chain...and AR is openly on board. This could be any species.

http://www.gazettextra.com/murderedgoats012004.asp
Farmer says he didn't hurt goats
(Published Tuesday, January 20, 2004 09:06:57 AM CST)

By Todd Richmond/Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. -- A goat farmer said Monday he's innocent of charges
he sliced open a conscious mother goat giving birth and helped burn a
goat alive, saying his two accusers have a grudge against him.

Daniel Considine, a director of the Wisconsin Dairy Goat Association
and president of the American Dairy Goat Association, told The
Associated Press he's always taken good care of his 600 goats. He
said two former workers on his farm who went to the authorities with
stories of animal cruelty lied.

"It really is nonsense," Considine said. "This is based on lies told
creatively by people who shouldn't have been believed."

Considine has been charged with one count of mistreating animals
causing death and another count of being a party to the mistreatment
of animals causing death. Both counts are felonies.

He is due to make an initial appearance in Columbia County Circuit
Court Wednesday.

District Attorney Jane Kohlwey stood by the charges Monday, saying
Considine told deputies he struck baby goats with a hammer and helped
burn the goat.

"We wouldn't have filed the charges if we didn't think we could prove
the case beyond a reasonable doubt," she said.

The workers, Diana Moyer and her husband, Larry, went to Columbia
County Sheriff's deputies in August. According to a criminal
complaint, they told the deputies they'd worked for Considine on his
farm in the Town of Fort Winnebago for eight years. They said they
had moved onto the farm about five months earlier.

Diana Moyer said she'd seen Considine beat baby goats to death with a
hammer, cut open the mother goat without anesthesia to remove the kid
and helped people burn a goat alive with lighter fluid on his farm.

A call the AP made to Larry Moyer's address on Considine's farm
Monday went unanswered. No other listings could be found for Larry or
Diana Moyer.

Considine told a deputy he has euthanized baby goats by striking them
on the head with a hammer and has allowed college students to buy a
goat from him, the complaint said. He told the deputy goats were
burned on his property but they were dead, the complaint said.

He also said there had been times when he used a knife to cut open a
mother goat that was having difficulty giving birth, the complaint
said.

Considine said the deputy didn't understand his explanations. He
declined to go into detail about any of the alleged incidents, saying
he's still looking for an attorney.

Considine said he has raised goats for 50 years and has about 600 on
his farm.

"I bring animals out looking good and I care for them well," he
said. "I'm denying I did any practice that is out of line and the
details there are spelled out wrong. They took a little tidbit and
created a story. The whole thing is ridiculous."

Considine said the Moyers didn't work on the farm for eight years.
They had done what Considine called "occasional" work for him in the
past.

He let them move into a trailer on the farm last February because
they had no place to go. They worked in exchange for a place to stay,
he said.

They decided to leave in July, he said.

"Instead of appreciating the fact I tried to help them, she's angry
with me," Considine said. "She was trying to create trouble for me
however she could." He didn't know why Diana would be angry with him,
he said.

Considine remains a director of the Wisconsin goat association, he
said, but he has taken a leave of absence as president of the
national goat association. He said he hasn't resigned and is still
the president.

ADGA officials issued a statement Monday saying first vice president
Robin Saum will act as president but they expect Considine will
resume his position when his legal battle ends.

Officials at the association's headquarters in Spindle, N.C., asked
that any media inquiries be submitted in writing. They responded to a
list of questions the AP faxed them with a statement that said Saum
was the president pro tem.

********************************
http://portage.scwn.com/articles/2004/01/23/news/news2.txt
Fund set up for farmer

By Tori Rosin - Daily Register
A Luray, Va., goat farm and Web design company have established a
legal defense fund for Fort Winnebago farmer Daniel Considine,
charged with two felony counts of animal abuse earlier this month.

As of Friday, members of the site have posted 38 auctions to raise
money.

Cometothefarm.com is maintained by Khimara Goat Farm, whose home page
informs visitors about the farm and sells other goat-related crafts
and collectibles. Auction administrator Linda Campbell did not return
a phone call seeking comment Friday afternoon.

A statement regarding the auctions at the site says, "Daniel
Considine, a renowned dairy goat breeder for 40 plus years, has been
accused of animal abuse at his dairy goat operation, Sunshine Farms,
in Portage, Wisconsin. The case is pending, so we will not provide
specific details at this time, but we expect him to be absolved of
these charges, but also expect it could require significant legal
expense.

"This is not only about helping Daniel Considine, it's also about
helping to ensure that dairy goat operations everywhere are not
targeted for managing their operation and performing necessary day-to-
day procedures that might be required in any livestock operation,"
the site said.

Commentary on the site also discussed Considine's record as a dairy
goat farmer, raising livestock that received national champion status
in several breeds and being recognized as a premier breeder by the
American Dairy Goat Association, an association he headed before
taking a temporary leave after he was charged.

"Considine is a sought-after ADGA judge, with more experience than
the majority of dairy goat judges active today, and has judged all
across the United States and internationally as well," the site
stated.

Members of the site can propose benefit auctions to the site's
administrators. Besides Considine's legal defense fund, people can
bid on auctions benefiting a 4-H group and another goat association.

Considine, 57, was charged Jan. 2 after two former employees of
Considine's alleged Aug. 4 that Considine performed a caesarian
section on a goat without anesthesia, leaving the mother to die. They
also said Considine helped a group of college students burn a goat
alive around Easter 2003.

Larry and Diana Moyer told a Columbia County sheriff's deputy they
saw the incidents while they lived at Considine's farm last spring,
according to the criminal complaint. Considine told the deputy he had
performed caesarian sections with a knife on goats who were having
trouble giving birth. He also said in the criminal complaint that the
goat had died before it was burned.

If convicted, Considine faces up to seven years in prison and a
maximum of $20,000 in fines.

On the Web: http://www.cometothefarm.com/considine.htm

**************************
http://www.agriview.com/articles/2004/01/28/dairy_news/producer04.txt
Dairy Goat Farmer Will Plead 'Not Guilty' to Animal Mistreatment

By Ron Johnson, Dairy Editor
"Not guilty" will be the plea of dairy goat farmer Daniel J.
Considine, Portage. He told Agri-View early this week, "In this case
there won't be any plea bargain." Asked if that meant he will
plead "not guilty," Considine replied, "Oh, absolutely."

Considine's attorney, Rich Davis, will enter that plea at a
preliminary hearing on Feb. 25, according to Considine. Another court
appearance is set for March 29.

The dairy goat farmer was charged on Jan. 21 with being "a party to
animal mistreatment." The charges stem from allegations that
Considine euthanized sick or deformed baby goats by striking them on
the head with a hammer, an "accepted" and legal practice, according
to a state agriculture department veterinarian.

The charge also comes from allegations that Considine performed a
caesarian section on a doe without giving her anesthetic, and that he
participated in setting live goats on fire. Published reports had
Considine saying that he probably sells half a dozen goats a year
right at his farm and that he sometimes sells a goat to someone of
African heritage, who kills the goat at the farm and then singes off
its hair before butchering the animal.

A conviction on the latter two allegations could result in a prison
sentence of up to seven years, along with a maximum fine of $20,000.

As it stands now, Considine is free on a $2,000 signature bond. He
said he and his attorney drew up three special conditions that he
agreed to abide by.

First, he will not euthanize any goats by a blow to the head. Second,
he cannot perform a caesarian section without a veterinarian present.
Third, he must have no contact with his accusers, Larry and Diana
Moyer.

Agri-View asked Considine what he will do to euthanize a young kid
that he deems terminally ill, deformed or crippled.

"Now I have to use a rifle, which is kind of silly," he said. "But
that's what I would have to do."

Overall, he said, the terms of the bond will not affect the way he
farms.

"If we would get into a really bad spot with a doe that's having
trouble kidding and couldn't get the vet fast enough, we'd lose some
kids. But that happens so damn infrequently anyway...That's only
happened to me a few times in 40 years," Considine said.

The farmer has a goats' milk delivery route to a number of stores in
central and southeast Wisconsin. He said he is not sure whether or
not the negative publicity surrounding this case has harmed his milk
sales.

"They looked pretty good the last run," he commented. "So far I think
we may be okay."

Asked how he is handling the situation, Considine answered, "It's
pretty hard to believe. It's like a horror story. You wouldn't think
it's possible that this could happen, but here it is."
****************
http://www.farmsanctuary.org/actionalerts/weekly.htm
URGENT! Letters needed to stop horrific animal abuser
Daniel Considine, President of the Dairy Goat Association, has been
charged with felony mistreatment of animals for allegedly killing
baby goats with a claw hammer, performing a Caesarean section without
anesthesia, and lighting a goat on fire before cutting its throat.
Considine, of Columbia County, Wisconsin, claims he did nothing
wrong, but written statements from four witnesses detail his alleged
abuses. It is especially inexcusable that the president of the dairy
goat association would perpetrate such cruelty.

Mr. Considine was charged with two felonies on January 2, 2004.
Please write to the District Attorney and urge him to actively
prosecute this case and to seek a strong sentence that prevents Mr.
Considine from owning goats in the future. In your letter, please
state that you are referring to Columbia County Case #2004CF000004.

The Honorable Jane E. Kohlwey
Columbia County District Attorney
P.O. Box 683
Portage, WI 53901
*****************************
http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/1924/WI/US/1
Torturing goats - (Madison, WI - US)
Crime Date: 01/17/2004
Case Status: Alleged

Accused Abuser(s): 
Daniel Considine

 


Case Report

Daniel Considine, 59, a Wisconsin goat farmer has been charged with
animal cruelty for allegedly slicing open a conscious mother goat
giving birth and helping burn a goat alive.

Considine faces a count of mistreatment of animals causing death and
a count of being party to the crime of mistreating animals causing
death. Both charges are felonies. He could face up to seven years in
prison and $20,000 in fines if convicted on both counts. He is
scheduled to make an initial appearance in Columbia County Circuit
Court.

The American Dairy Goat Association's Web site lists Considine as
president. He also is a Wisconsin Dairy Goat Association director.  A
criminal complaint said two employees on Considine's farm told
authorities they'd seen Considine commit "disturbing acts" against
his goats.

According to the complaint:
Diana Moyer and her husband, Larry, told sheriff's deputies in August
they had worked on Considine's farm for the past eight years, the
complaint said. They said they moved onto the farm about five months
ago.

Diana Moyer told deputies she saw Considine strike baby goats over
the head with a hammer until they died.

She said she saw him in March 2003 cut open a live mother goat while
she was giving birth and removed the kid. She said he didn't use any
anesthesia and didn't call a veterinarian. Considine then left the
mother goat to die, she said.

She also said that around Easter in April 2003 she saw Considine help
some people use lighter fluid to burn a live goat on the farm. Larry
Moyer said he had seen college students on occasions come to the
farm, buy a goat and burn it alive on the farm, according to the
complaint.

Considine told deputies he has euthanized baby goats by hitting them
on the head with a hammer because they didn't meet his standards, the
complaint said.

He told deputies college students have bought a goat from him. He
said goats have been burned on his property but they were killed
first, the complaint said.

He also said there were times when he cut open a mother goat that was
having difficulty giving birth, the complaint said.

The complaint cites a written report by Yvonne Bellay, a state humane
officer. She calls cutting fetuses from a conscious mother
goat "barbaric and unacceptable" in the report and burning live
animals "extreme cruelty."

Considine's neighbor, Patricia Coleman, said she's never seen or
heard anything strange at the farm.

"I'll feel really, really sad if there is some proof to this," she
said. "It would be pretty devastating to the community. If he's found
guilty, I hope justice is served. If he's innocent, his credibility
is ruined."

Coleman, who raises horses, said the baby goats might have had
defects they wouldn't have survived and veterinarians are expensive.

"On a day-to-day basis, when you're running that kind of operation,
you can't afford to be calling the vet out," she said.

An American Veterinary Medical Association report in 2000 said blows
to the head can be an effective and humane method to euthanize
newborn animals with thin skulls, but people who try the method
should be properly trained.

Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association president-elect Dale
Bjorling said he doesn't recommend striking animals with hammers.

"You could miss or injure the animal and it would still feel pain,"
he said.

Cutting a kid out of a conscious mother goat is tough to justify,
although it might be necessary when the mother is near death,
Bjorling said.

"The acceptable reasons for doing that are very limited," he
said. "It would have to be under some pretty dire circumstances."

Coleman said she didn't understand why the Moyers would raise the
allegations now after working with Considine for eight years.
***************************
Goat association member charged with torturing, killing his goats

(Published Sunday, January 18, 2004)

By Todd Richmond/Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. -- A prominent Wisconsin goat farmer has been charged
with animal cruelty for allegedly slicing open a conscious mother
goat giving birth and helping burn a goat alive.

Daniel Considine, 59, faces a count of mistreatment of animals
causing death and a count of being party to the crime of mistreating
animals causing death. Both charges are felonies. He could face up to
seven years in prison and $20,000 in fines if convicted on both
counts.

He is scheduled to make an initial appearance in Columbia County
Circuit Court Wednesday.

The American Dairy Goat Association's Web site lists Considine as
president. He also is a Wisconsin Dairy Goat Association director.

Considine did not immediately return a message the AP left at his
farm in the Town of Fort Winnebago near Portage.

WDGA president Larry Hedrich called Considine an "absolutely"
upstanding colleague and there were no plans to remove him from his
position.

"It does not seem to make sense," Hedrich said of the allegations.

A call The Associated Press made to the ADGA's office in Spindle,
N.C., Saturday went unanswered. Messages the AP left at several ADGA
officers' homes weren't immediately returned.

A criminal complaint said two employees on Considine's farm told
authorities they'd seen Considine commit "disturbing acts" against
his goats.

According to the complaint:

Diana Moyer and her husband, Larry, told sheriff's deputies in August
they had worked on Considine's farm for the past eight years, the
complaint said. They said they moved onto the farm about five months
ago.

Diana Moyer told deputies she saw Considine strike baby goats over
the head with a hammer until they died.

She said she saw him in March 2003 cut open a live mother goat while
she was giving birth and removed the kid. She said he didn't use any
anesthesia and didn't call a veterinarian. Considine then left the
mother goat to die, she said.

She also said that around Easter in April 2003 she saw Considine help
some people use lighter fluid to burn a live goat on the farm. Larry
Moyer said he had seen college students on occasions come to the
farm, buy a goat and burn it alive on the farm, according to the
complaint.

Telephone listings could not be found for Larry Moyer or Diana Moyer.

Considine told deputies he has euthanized baby goats by hitting them
on the head with a hammer because they didn't meet his standards, the
complaint said.

He told deputies college students have bought a goat from him. He
said goats have been burned on his property but they were killed
first, the complaint said.

He also said there were times when he cut open a mother goat that was
having difficulty giving birth, the complaint said.

The complaint cites a written report by Yvonne Bellay, a state humane
officer. She calls cutting fetuses from a conscious mother
goat "barbaric and unacceptable" in the report and burning live
animals "extreme cruelty."

Considine's neighbor, Patricia Coleman, said she's never seen or
heard anything strange at the farm.

"I'll feel really, really sad if there is some proof to this," she
said. "It would be pretty devastating to the community. If he's found
guilty, I hope justice is served. If he's innocent, his credibility
is ruined."

Coleman, who raises horses, said the baby goats might have had
defects they wouldn't have survived and veterinarians are expensive.

"On a day-to-day basis, when you're running that kind of operation,
you can't afford to be calling the vet out," she said.

An American Veterinary Medical Association report in 2000 said blows
to the head can be an effective and humane method to euthanize
newborn animals with thin skulls, but people who try the method
should be properly trained.

Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association president-elect Dale
Bjorling said he doesn't recommend striking animals with hammers.

"You could miss or injure the animal and it would still feel pain,"
he said.

Cutting a kid out of a conscious mother goat is tough to justify,
although it might be necessary when the mother is near death,
Bjorling said.

"The acceptable reasons for doing that are very limited," he
said. "It would have to be under some pretty dire circumstances."

Coleman said she didn't understand why the Moyers would raise the
allegations now after working with Considine for eight years.
http://www.gazettextra.com/murderedgoats011804.asp


Courtesy:  [A_C_T_I_O_N]