West DSM News

A retired school teacher and former city commissioner from San Jose, California, said it doesn't require religious conviction to wish an Iowa breeder banned last week for selling dogs after 500 were rescued amid “horrific” conditions.

Thomas Paramo, who was a San Jose Neighborhoods Commissioner from 2007 to 2013 and retired from Moreland School District in 2017 after more than 12 years teaching math and science, took to social media to express his opinions about the Iowa case.

Retired San Jose school teacher Thomas Paramo | linkedin.com/in/tom-paramo-b7536136/

"[I'm] not a religious man but honestly believe there is a special Hell for people that abuse animals, especially dogs," Paramo said in his Friday, Nov. 5, Twitter post.

Paramo also is an emergency medical services first responder and a member of Community Emergency Response team in San Jose, according to information on his LinkedIn page.

Paramo's Twitter post linked to USA Today's coverage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture accusations against Daniel Gingerich of Seymour, who allegedly violated the federal Animal Welfare Act at least 100 times in six months.  

A federal judge issued a ruling that permanently barred Gingerich from selling, breeding or brokering dogs and put an end to a complaint filed against him by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In its civil complaint filed Sept. 27 in U.S. District Court for Iowa's Southern District, the DOJ alleged, among other things, that Gingerich hid sick dogs from inspectors and failed to provide 514 dogs with "adequate veterinary care, nutritious food in a sufficient quantity, potable water and housing that is both safe and sanitary."

The complaint included images of unhealthy dogs held in deplorable conditions at Gingerich's operation, including a photo of an emaciated dog that Gingerich allegedly tried to hide from inspectors in a filthy horse stall during a follow-up inspection.

In the two years Gingerich was licensed by the USDA to breed and sell dogs at approved sites, he amassed at least 100 citations for violating the Animal Welfare Act.

"The majority of these citations were issued during inspections conducted since March 2021," the complaint said.

USA Today described the more than 500 dogs "with matted fur, sunken eyes and protruding ribs" that "were pulled from overcrowded stalls filled (with) dirt, horse manure and feces" as they were rescued by American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals members.

The conditions were "horrific," the society told USA Today.

"Our hearts broke when we learned of the situation so many dogs are living through," Geoff Hall, president of Wayside Waifs, a Missouri-based animal protection group that helped with the dogs' rescues, said.