Velma Muessemeyer will be in Court in Franklin County Missouri on December the 17th. I do not yet have the address and time for her combination hearing and trial. The Missouri Humane Society and Franklin County Sheriff Deputies seized all of the animals on her property on allegations of abuse and/or neglect. While I haven’t seen nearly enough pictures, I have seen several of the rabbits that are reported to have been mistreated. What I saw looked quite good. Now the property is junky looking, but that isn’t indicative of animal neglect, cruelty, or abuse. More truthfully, that is a reflection of limited financial resources.
I’m going to post a bunch of links to articles on this issue. I ask that you pay particular attention to the appearance of the animals, and not focus on the fact that workmanship and new equipment is obviously lacking. For those who know rabbits, look at their hocks, their ears, their overall appearance and let me know if you think they look like they have been lacking feed. Same with the goats in the Humane Society of Missouri’s video. The pen is either freshly strawe or shows an abundance of hay being fed out to the goats. The goats are in very good flesh and I see no snotty noses or ribs showing on them at all. Just focus on the animals, as they are the object of these allegations against Muessemeyer. She isn’t being taken to court for “blight” or property maintenance code violations, but animal abuse and neglect.
One of Muessemeyers rabbits being checked by Missouri Humane Society
I readily concede that I am looking at pictures here and have no first hand knowledge of this lady or her practices. I do however have lots of experience with rabbits, goats, dogs and chickens. While I may not manage mine the way Muessemeyer manages hers, the animals show no outward signs of neglect.
Here are a plethora of links. First videos:
http://www.ksdk.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=69366613001
Now for articles:
http://www.hsmo.org/news/animal-cruelty-task-force.html
http://www.emissourian.com/local_news/saint_clair/article_1e9e20c8-4e27-11e3-b2d6-001a4bcf887a.html
photo by Robert Cohen • rcohen@post-dispatch.com
The article linked above cites a previous seizure of Muessemeyer rabbits that he states were sick, and provides a link that supposedly stipulates the rabbits were sick. The link doesn’t mention illness of the rabbits at all. Here it is:
If you find any more links, as I seem to have lost some because my computer insisted it needed to restart, please post them in the comments section. I AM going to moderate.
Also, I find it interesting that the Missouri Humane Society has more than 18 million dollars reported on the last 990 form. And that they “rescue” animals and then adopt them out right away for 10 times what one can get in the non “rescue” market. r aclarifyin Here’s a very interesting article covering that aspect of these HSUS rescues. Steal from the poor and sell to the rich??? Almost sounds like government work, huh?
Truth Farmer 
Jul 03, 2014 @ 14:19:06
Thank you for the good writeup. It in truth used to be a
amusement account it. Look coomplex tto more delivered agreeable from you!
However, how ccan we communicate?