Comments On Shar-Pei Abuse Case

Dear Editor, Yesterday an article came across my desk, the article was written by Michael Lauer detailing his version of events that took place starting in 2015. In February of 2015 sixty six (66) Chinese Shar-Pei were confiscated from the Lauer's home due to neglect and abuse. These dogs made their way to Doc Williams SPCA and eventually through rescues with the CSPCA (Chinese Shar-Pei Club of America) made their way into foster and adoptive homes.

     One of those dogs was named Vision, Shenanigan's I See A Memory (pictured right).  In March of 2015 he made his way into my home as a long term foster for the North American Shar-Pei Rescue. Vision arrived in Doc Williams in horrible condition, he had severe muscle atrophy in his rear end, was missing almost half of his fur, and suffered from the long term effects of non-treatment for skin, ear, and eye infections. These would be issues he would deal with for the next two years, before ultimately we lost him due to renal failure.

     In the two years with me he had to learn how to be a dog again, terrified of loud noises (i.e. - yelling, dogs barking), dogs, and sometimes people. He could barely lift his legs and had to shuffle, he regained some fur, but would never grow back all of his fur. This is not something that happened in a short amount of time, these were issues that were ongoing long enough for him to have permanent damage.

     Nothing Michael Lauer said in that article is true, other than the record being expunged. These dogs lived in absolute hell, and the picture I've attached hopefully will show you just how incredibly inaccurate Michael's statements are. These dogs, many of which have now perished due to complications from their years of abuse, suffered in this home and the only chance of life they got was when they were confiscated by the SPCA. I encourage TheDogPress to remove this article, and not support anything that Michael or Susan Lauer have to say on the matter.

     There are many people who helped these dogs, from the SPCA to the transports, to the CSPCA, to the rescues, to the fosters, to the adopters. (Our) group shared our stories, the health of the dogs, and watched them in their new lives. Losing Vision came on the heels of finding out these records were being expunged and that we would never have justice for the cruelties these dogs suffered, so yes it is completely heartbreaking. It is amazing though that several of these dogs are still with us, including some of the older ones that were still being bred (a 9 year old had a litter in rescue which only two pups survived) and several blind dogs as well. Many of these dogs had been shown, including Vision who had five (5) points to his name including a major when he was younger obviously before his skin issues developed. It was a complete betrayal to many of us in the breed and to members of the club. There are many stories that can be shared by long time members of the CSPCA about Mike and Susie well before all this happened, as well as puppy buyers who ended up with very sick animals in recent years.

     I'm including a photo of Vision in August of 2015, in just six months he was back to normal weight and had begun to put fur and muscle back on. It took daily baths for over a year to combat his skin issues, he had to be on antibiotics for a year and a half, have special medication for his ear infections and medication for his irritated eyes. He was "adopted" by the Hoosier State Chinese Shar-Pei Club and they provided money to help with special food, toys, blankets, and any other necessities he had.

     In June of 2015 he went to their B-Match (as a) Veterans and won the Costume Contest, it was his first outing since he had been rescued and the club made sure his two years in my care were incredibly comfortable.

     These dogs touched many lives, they rose above the issues they faced. And I appreciate anything you can do to get their story out there. Many of us have stood and defended people who have been wrongly accused, helped them recover their dogs etc. We are advocates for breeders, and it was the breeders and rescues that worked together for these animals. So yes, we were incredibly outraged, when people like the Lauers lie like this it makes it incredibly difficult to defend those that are actually wrongly accused. Thank you again for your response, and I do hope you have heard from many of us involved in the lives and rescue of the SC66. Elizabeth Cleary

I would like to comment on the article I read yesterday in your publication. Unfortunately a picture including me was used in the Article. I would like to be very clear that I did not approve of the picture being used nor do I want it to be assumed that I in any way feel that The Lauers were not correctly charged. I am in Canada so not well aware of the laws there but I have seen more proof than I ever care to see again that the dogs in their care were in horrific neglectful conditions. I was friends with them in what I consider their past life.

      I donated to the care of these poor suffering dogs as did almost everyone in our breed. Them being expunged of all charges is a joke to OUR community. Perhaps if someone knew of them before they changed they could read this article and believe it. However, the Lauers did change. Maybe it was as a result of a bad accident they were in but the last many years they were not those people Mike talks about. They became the people who were responsible for the horrid conditions these poor dogs were left in.

     Not sure I agree with the idea that running the article was a great idea. Gave him the opportunity to call foul on what THEY went through. They deserved every minute of what they got. May have been a better idea to present the other side. You would be shocked and appalled if you had seen what ALL the dogs in their care went through. I wasn't asking to have the photo removed. I get how difficult that would be. The fact that the picture had both Mike and Susie in it and the only two others in the photo were Karen Kleinhans, an AKC Judge, and myself, a CKC judge speaks volumes as to the lengths he will go to try and seem legitimate.

Here is my response to your article based on the Lauers and their Sharpeis. "Ok, so the mom Edie, that I fostered after you were arrested, was healthy?!? You were only feeding a pregnant bitch every other day?!?. She was in such bad health that 2 of the 4 pups died within 24 hours of the rescue receiving her! And why in the hell were you breeding a 9 year old?!? I went to your house years before the arrest after my Shar Pei died of renal failure at age 10. I knew something was fishy, when she, your wife, (who knew I was coming as we scheduled the day and time), wouldn't let me inside your home or let me see your kennels. She brought out one puppy, covered in shit. And she herself was wearing sweatpants and they were covered in shit. I could hear the dogs barking in your garage/kennel. My husband and I knew then that you were degraded to being a puppy mill. The quality that your brag about, all the awards... they ended a long time ago. Yes, you once sired champion lines, and then you got lazy! If you needed help, you should have asked for it, and stopped breeding if you couldn't take care of your animals, which is what any responsible person would have done. We swore then, that we would never give our money to you for you to perpetuate this "care".

     When we asked about the parents of the pup your wife let us see, she sent out to females, neither the parents. Their eyes were covered in green discharge and you had used fishing line to tack their upper eye lids. (How do I know it was fishing line you ask? Well, no suture is lime green, and with tails that were over a half inch long! No veterinarian would have dared leave an animal like that!) When asked, your wife said they were being treated by a vet and they recommended you, the breeders, tack their eyes yourself while giving eye meds. However, I am an emergency critical care veterinary technician and I know that you cannot show a dog that has had eye surgery; and that dog cannot breed; and that dog will go blind from entropion. So, again, my husband and I saw these things and knew we could never buy a puppy from you, no matter what champions you sired in the past.

     I kept your last 2 puppies from the 66 taken from you. They will never know what they came from. They will never know the pain of their eyes hurting or a hungry belly. You may have done good things in your past, but they do NOT out shine the bad deeds that these poor dogs, whom trusted you, have suffered from. You disgust me by thinking you were wrongly punished because of the good champions you and your wife sired. I'm sure Hitler did some good in his life too before he killed millions of people. Your intentions may have been pure, but as the saying goes, " the highway to hell is paved with good intentions".

     So I say, take your pathetic story of how you and your wife were wronged and sell it to all the fools who will listen, for we, those that took in YOUR 66 sick, wasted, unloved pups.... we will know the truth and we will NOT forget!" I hope you take the time to really let this sink in and try to get the full truth next time before you listen to a one sided story. Jennifer Rhea

Dear Editor: My photo appears in the article by Michael Lauer on your site. I am the judge in the win photo from the Canadian national specialty show of more than ten, perhaps more than 15 years ago. I would not want that photo to be seen in any way as an endorsement of the Lauers. I am a lifetime member of the Chinese Shar-Pei Club of America, a past President and a still active participant, Because of the immediacy of the internet, I was aware of the seizure shortly after it happened, watched our rescue groups and breeders race to the aid of the dogs. I saw the pictures and videos of the dogs and followed their lives for the months after as rescuers grappled with the health conditions and gave them warm and loving lives.

    Please publish this letter to make it clear that my photo from many years ago should not be used in any way to condone, accept, or excuse what led to the seizure of those dogs, no matter how the court phrases it now.  Thank you.  Karen Kleinhans DeSilva