Brother of busted dog breeder calls for tough sentence By Gilbert Garcia September 23, 2014 | Updated: September 23, 2014 10:28pm Emmett McNiel served more than 20 years in the Army and participated in the 1944 Normandy invasion. After his military career ended, McNiel and his wife, Erma, a hardworking dental-office manager, settled into their dream home, a two-story house on a 10-acre property in the St. Hedwig area. Both McNiel and his wife have died over the past decade, and they wouldnt have recognized the home that Bexar County sheriffs investigators raided Sept. 2. The investigators found more than 100 dogs, including several Boston terriers and Papillons, suffering through heartbreakingly horrific conditions. Most of them were kept outside in crates filled with feces and urine, while a few others stayed inside a home whose second floor was covered in feces and smelled so bad that the investigators couldnt enter the place without wearing hazmat suits. Ronald McNiel, 67, a stumpy, bald man who bears a strong resemblance to deceased baseball manager Don Zimmer, was charged with cruelty to nonlivestock animals, and released on $5,000 bail. (Side note: The county booked him as “McNeil,” but his family members spell their last name “McNiel,” and that is the way his name appears on his drivers license.) McNiel could not be reached for comment Tuesday. After the seizure, the dogs were taken to Dodd Animal Hospital, with most of them finding permanent or foster homes. The animal hospital has billed the county $25 a day per dog, and Dodd office manager Sharon Gregory says the overall cost to the county has exceeded $35,000. It would be much higher if rescue groups hadnt paid for many of the vaccinations. Among those who want to see McNiel compensate the county for the burden hes inflicted on local taxpayers, one of the most vehement voices comes from his estranged brother, Robert. Robert McNiel says he has only seen his brother once in the past five years, and that was a few weeks ago when Ronald turned up at a graduation party for Roberts granddaughter. As Robert tells it, his brother rolled up in a new car and, while reaching in his pocket for a gift card to present to the graduate, inadvertently pulled out a thick wad of $100 bills. “Hes got the money,” Robert said. “He should pay to have these dogs taken care of and to have homes found for them.” Ronald McNiel served 26 years in the Air Force, retiring as a chief master sergeant. In addition to his military retirement pay, hes also collecting Social Security, according to his brother. Their mother bequeathed her half of the house to him when she died of cancer in 2004, on the condition that he would take care of his invalid father. “The house was in immaculate condition when my parents lived there,” Robert McNiel said. “You took your shoes off when you went inside the house. There was no smoking in the house.” Robert added that his brother and younger sister Michelle began to get serious about dog breeding after their mothers death. He recalls visiting and seeing his father resting on the back porch in a hospital bed surrounded by puppy kennels. Emmett McNiel died Nov. 15, 2006, and, as the house passed completely to Ronald, the puppy mill began to get bigger. During this period, Ronalds sister Glenda lived on the property, in a trailer that their mom had bought for her. Robert says Glendas 2009 death severed any relationship that he had with his brother. “She lived in that trailer and they found her dead,” Robert McNiel said. “Shed been dead for about three weeks.” With regard to Ronalds dogs, it has taken a Herculean effort from rescue activists such as Kelly Reid Walls to counteract years of Ronald McNiels neglect. A Boston terrier named Bettie Page, who had just moved to a foster home, died after undergoing surgery to remove two mammary tumor chains and multiple mast cell tumors. Other dogs suffered from blindness, broken jaws or broken tails. All of them were shell-shocked. Walls usually hates to think of using the justice system to “set an example,” but she says local dog breeders need to be shown that theres a price to be paid for their abuses. Robert McNiel couldnt agree more.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 20:01:06 +0000
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