Hounds That Survived Fire Are Hunting for a Home

When the Hawthorne animal shelter put more than a dozen mistreated survivors of a Gardena kennel fire up for adoption three weeks ago, the neatly groomed miniature poodles and newly coiffed Shih Tzus were immediately snatched up.

But Happy and Rover, a pair of rambunctious and uncommon harriers, are still waiting for new homes.

“Most people who come see them say, ‘Oh my God, look at that huge beagle,’ ” said Animal Control Officer Diane Jackson of the Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Hawthorne shelter. “We kind of feel sorry for them because all the little ones found homes but these two were left behind.”

The black, tan and white hounds--who weigh about 45 pounds and stand about 20 inches--are a breed of hunting dogs rarely seen outside of Europe, except in American Kennel Club dog shows, officials said.

Breeding guides say harriers were first formed into hare-hunting packs in the 13th Century. By the 17th Century, hunting with them on foot became known as “the poor man’s alternative” to the mounted fox hunt that is associated with the British upper class.

Appearing healthy, except for some fly bites on their ears, Rover and Happy were bred as show dogs and apparently had spent their lives cooped up in a filthy, 4-foot-by-6-foot cage at Fantasy Kennels on La Salle Avenue, animal officials said.

“What we’re interested in is a good home, not necessarily a show home,” Jackson said. “Right now they need love, both of them.”

The 3-year-old male hounds were among 50 dogs and a cat owned by Kathy Schaefer, 35, the registered owner of Fantasy Kennels, which has been shut for having had substandard conditions. The animals’ plight was discovered after a fire destroyed part of a house on the property.

Firefighters contacted animal officials after finding that about 50 dogs were being kept in cages that lacked proper drainage and were soaked with urine and feces. One dog, seven puppies and a cat were killed in the fire, which officials say was sparked by a candle in the bedroom.

Schaefer agreed to give up the animals to avoid prosecution, SPCA Sgt. Cori Whetstone said.

Schaefer and a woman she listed as her employee, Sylvia Kelly, 51, were also involved in an investigation of violations of state humane laws at a North Hollywood kennel in 1988. Kelly, who owned that kennel, was fined and put on three years of probation after pleading no contest to charges of animal cruelty in that case.

“What you have here are two people who got out of control,” said Whetstone, who investigated both cases. “The property wasn’t set up to have that many animals. We’re not saying they disliked animals. They just had more animals than they could really handle.”