HARMANS SUSPENDED FOR LIFE By CAROL BRADLEY Tribune Staff Writer The American Kennel Club's board of directors, in a rare move, suspended convicted collie abusers Jon and Athena Harman for life at its July meeting. The AKC ordinarily suspends breeders convicted of animal cruelty for 10 years and fines them $2,000. But because of the number of dogs involved "and the horrific conditions these dogs were made to endure," the organization's Management Disciplinary Committee recommended a lifetime suspension for the Harmans and the board agreed. The move means Athena Lethcoe-Harman will never again be allowed to register her dogs with the AKC or enter dogs in AKC shows. The AKC governs all reputable dog shows and its stamp of approval is considered essential to American breeders. At the same time it extended the suspensions, the board reduced its usual $2,000 fine for convicted animal abusers to $1,000 in the Harmans' case. A Justice Court jury in Deer Lodge County convicted the Alaska couple of 180 counts each of misdemeanor animal cruelty in May. The Harmans were arrested Nov. 1 at the Port of Sweet Grass after U.S. customs inspectors discovered 170 dogs, mostly collies and 10 cats dehydrated, emaciated, diseased and shivering in a tractor trailer that was dripping wet from condensation. The collie breeders were in the process of moving their dogs to Arizona. They had transported the animals 2,240 miles over nine days. Minutes from the AKC board's July 7-8 meeting noted that as part of their sentencing agreement, the Harmans waived their right to appeal their case. The Harmans had also been charged under AKC disciplinary procedures for failing to comply with the organization's identification requirements and for failing to maintain their dogs and facilities in a manner acceptable to the AKC. The collies rescued from the Harmans' 18-wheeler are being kept at a warehouse in Great Falls and are in the process of being adopted out to new homes. |