The Veterinarian’s Blood Bank is located at 3849 State Road 135, Vallonia.
JACKSON COUNTY — Jackson County Prosecutor Jeff Chalfant recently released his review of the investigation regarding The Veterinarian’s Blood Bank in Vallonia after allegations of neglect of cats and dogs from the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Chalfant said no crimes have occurred at the dog and cat facilities operated by the Veterinarian’s Blood Bank.
The organization (also known as PETA) claims more than 900 animals are living in severely crowded pens and the company is drawing blood from animals who were elderly, sick and being denied adequate veterinary care.
PETA gathered these claims during an undercover investigation over a seven-month period last year.
According to Chalfant’s report, in late December of 2023, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department received information from PETA which raised concerns about the dog and cat facility of the animal blood bank.
Both facilities draw blood from animals to be used in surgery by veterinarians. Chalfant said in reviewing the investigation he first learned that animal blood banks existed and they provide blood to veterinarian offices around the United States.
The information, provided by a former employee of the blood bank, was that two cats and one dog in the facility had been neglected, Chalfant said.
After receiving the information from PETA, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the Indiana State Board of Animal Health investigated. A veterinarian with the IBOAH and a detective with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department performed unannounced inspections of the blood banks finding it housed approximately 340 dogs and 581 cats, Chalfant said.
Following the inspections, the IBOAH issued reports and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department conducted a follow-up investigation, Chalfant was provided with the results of their investigation.
The cats owned and cared for by the Veterinarian’s Blood Bank were receiving care sufficient to provide for their health, and no immediate jeopardy issues were noted, Chalfant said.
The dogs owned and cared for in the facility were in, or near, normal body condition and had adequate food, water, and shelter, Chalfant said.
The veterinarian did report that the facility should provide dental care for some of the dogs, improve the flooring of the dog pens, seal areas of rust in dog enclosures and add a sanitation process to the cleaning of dog food bowls.
Chalfant said the only criminal codes in Indiana that could conceivably apply in this situation are IC 35-46-3-7 and IC 35-46-3-12.
IC 35-46-3-7 is entitled “Abandonment or neglect of vertebrate animal.” This section provides, in the portion conceivably relevant to this investigation, “that a person who has a vertebrate animal in the person’s custody; and recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally abandons or neglects the animal commits cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor.”
IC 35-46-3-12 is entitled “Cruelty to an animal-torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal.” This section provides, in the portion conceivably relevant to this investigation, “A person who knowingly or intentionally abuses a vertebrate animal commits cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor. A person who knowingly or intentionally tortures or mutilates a vertebrate animal commits torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal, a level 6 felony.”
Chalfant said during his review of the investigation, he found a PETA webpage: peta.org/action/action-alerts/blood-bank-contact-your-vet/.
He said he found it interesting that PETA wrote as follows, “Urge your veterinarian to obtain blood only from dogs and cats who live in homes as beloved family members and are volunteered by their guardians for periodic blood donations.”
“I quote this language, because I considered whether drawing blood from dogs and cats could be considered neglect, torture or mutilation per se,” Chalfant said.
He said given that PETA, with its high level of concern for animals, approves of appropriate animal blood donations, and that the IBOAH found that the level of care provided to the dogs and cats was adequate, no crimes have occurred at the dog and cat facilities operated by the Veterinarian’s Blood Bank.
