4 rescued dogs pass
humane society’s
inspectionThey were among 14 dogs
seized from Lucy Kagan's home
Four out of 14 dogs that were released to Lucy Kagan on July 29 have passed inspection by the Hawaiian Humane Society.
Circuit Judge Eden Elizabeth Hifo urged Kagan at a hearing yesterday to continue providing information on the remaining dogs' whereabouts to the humane society, as Hifo had ordered Aug. 11.
Janice Futa, attorney for the humane society, said information on the dogs' new owners has been slow in coming and insufficient to conduct a thorough follow-up.
The 14 dogs were what remained from 27 dogs and two cats discovered at Kagan's Hawaii Kai townhome May 7 by firefighters responding to a kitchen fire. Fire officials said the animals were living amid trash, feces and roaches. After the animals were seized, 10 were reclaimed by Norman Texeira, who said he was Kagan's boss. Others have since been claimed by their owners, and one died of a deformity.
Kagan has denied accusations that she was running a puppy mill.
The court's Aug. 11 order allows the humane society to conduct inspections of the 14 dogs to verify if they have been sold and are residing in proper living quarters.
At the last hearing, Kagan told the court that 10 of the dogs had been sold and four were in "foster care." The four have since been sold.
Delilah, Cocoa and Penny -- three of the four who were previously in "foster care" -- were inspected and are fine, said Linda Haller, director of shelter operations at the humane society. Azure, one of the 10 who was sold earlier, is also OK, she said.
Kagan is expected to report back to court Sept. 2 on her efforts to comply with the judge's order.
If the humane society is unsuccessful at contacting the other dogs' owners or if the owners refuse to allow the dogs to be inspected, it has the authority from the court to issue subpoenas ordering them to appear at the Sept. 2 hearing, Futa said.
Scott Strack, attorney for Kagan, declined comment.
