“Rats R Us” the Peter Springer case
Rats R Us
San Diego County Animal Control had been receiving complaints about ‘Rats R Us’, a mass breeder of rats for snake food, since 1996. Neighbors of Peter Springer, co-owner of ‘Rats R Us’, had been forced to endure the horrible stench emanating from the ‘Rats R Us’ barn and dead rats appearing in their yards. Encinitas councilwoman Maggie Houlihan, who happened to live up-hill from ‘Rats R Us’, demanded action be taken after she found dying rats crawling across her property. Animal control officers made their move - in June of 2002.
The result? A minimum of 20,000 decayed, dead, and dying rats. A smell so over-powering that officers could only stay in the barn for three minutes at a time, and were later forced to wear gas masks. Fifty to sixty animals crammed into cages designed to hold eight. Rampant disease, cannibalism, half-eaten body parts left to rot. Rats so crowded they struggled to expand their rib cages and breathe. And in the saddest twist of all, the barn floor covered in rat poison so any escapees would be dead before reaching safety.
‘Rats R Us’ was in the business of suppling live and frozen rats to Los Angeles area businesses, zoos, and pet shops for reptile food. Apparently, Peter Springer believed he was being unfairly targeted by animal control officers who didn’t understand the nature of his business. “We attempt to care for them, but some will die.”
In truth, every ‘Rats R Us’ rat died, because officers were forced to spend three days humanely euthanizing the animals with carbon dioxide gas. Not a single rat made it out of ‘Rats R Us’ alive, including the sixty-eight animals initially seized.
Animal Control faced one huge obstacle in stopping Peter Springer and ‘Rats R Us’: a lack of guidelines for the proper care of rats in mass breeding situations. However, the County of San Diego District Attorney’s Office, in an unprecedented move, filed one count of felony animal cruelty against Peter Springer in August of 2003. In September, Mr. Springer pled not guilty at his arraignment and was freed on his own recognizance pending trial. His business partner, Bob Turner, was never charged due to a lack of evidence linking him to the alleged abuse. In October of 2003, Mr. Springer pled guilty to one count of misdemeanor animal neglect under a plea bargain arrangement with the District Attorney’s Office. According to John Carlson, Regional Director, County of San Diego, Department of Animal Services, “[i]n this case, the conditions were so deplorable that prosecution was the only option. If federal regulations and inspections had beeen in place, these conditions could never have developed to this state” (emphasis added).
Mr. Springer was placed on three years of probation, during which time he may not own or breed any rodents, nor own any animals except for his current dog. If Mr. Springer violates his probation, he could spend up to one year in jail. In addition, Mr. Springer must attend three sessions of counseling and serve ten days of community service picking up trash on the highway. ‘Rats R Us’ is now defunct, the property has been sold, and Mr. Springer plans to move out of the neighborhood.
The ‘Rats R Us’ case is a legal anomaly for three reasons. First, animal cruelty cases in general are extremely difficult to investigate and prosecute, making formal charges against offenders rare. Second, the ‘Rats R Us’ case may be the only American example of state prosecution for animal cruelty or neglect where the victim was a domestic rat. Third, the case vividly illustrates the need for greater oversight and inspection of mass breeding facilities. Domestic rats are not officially given protection under the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), therefore, ‘Rats R Us’ was never inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), unlike identical businesses breeding gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, or other ‘pocket pets’. In most jurisdictions, no government entity has the authority to monitor conditions at rat/mouse breeding facilities. Animal Control officers may only enter such a facility after a legitimate complaint has been filed.
Defiant to the end, Peter Springer has complained his neighbors and county officials are animal-rights extremists and also claims to have spent eight hours per day caring for his furry charges. In Mr. Springer’s own words, “I could almost talk to them.”
Apparently, he needed a translator.
* Kevin Clerici, Officers Find Squalid ‘Mess’ in Barn Used to Breed Rats, San Diego Union-Tribune, July 18th, 2002.
* E-mail from John Carlson, Regional Director, County of San Diego, Department of Animal Services, to Lydia Peirce-Dougherty, Attorney, Eadie’s House, ‘Rats R Us’ Case Information (June 7, 2004, 14:20:06 p.m. MST)(copy on file with Eadie’s House).
* Daniel Evans, Owner of Rat Business Faces Charge of Cruelty, San Diego Union-Tribune, August 13, 2003.
* Marty Graham, Rat Breeder Faces Felony Charge of Squalid Keep, North County Times, August 15th, 2003.
* MSNBC, Microsoft Corporation, San Diegan Accused of Cruelty to 35,000 Rats, (last modified August 13th, 2003)
* MSNBC, Microsoft Corporation, Rats R Us Owner Pleads Guilty to Animal Neglect (last modified June 3, 2004)
* Dana Littlefield, Rat Breeder Receives Probation, Public Service for Animal Neglect, San Diego Union-Tribune, October 10, 2003.