RSPCA Qld confirms up to 100 pets sent to live at Storybook Farm are still missing

RSPCA investigators claim up to 100 pets are still unaccounted for following a raid of a farm for disabled animals.

LILY-ROSE the dachshund corgi cross is one of a possible 100 dogs still not accounted for following a raid of a north Brisbane farm for disabled animals.

RSPCA Queensland Chief Inspector Daniel Young says they’ve been inundated with calls but are still appealing for more information following the March 20 raid of the Storybook Farm Sacred Animal Garden property in Whiteside, where inspectors seized 37 disabled or injured animals.

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“We have accounted for thirty-seven animals but we are still working on finding out what happened to the rest of them,” he said.

“The calls we have received indicate there could be nearly one hundred animals who were sent there but cannot currently be located.

“This is a particularly complex situation with a lot of information still coming in. We want to make sure we have all the facts.”

Lily-Rose, a corgi-dachshund cross, is one of the nearly 100 dogs sent to the Storybook Farm Sacred Animal Garden in Brisbane that is said to be unaccounted for. The rescue group who put through Lily a year of rehabilitation wants to know where she is. Picture: Puppy Tales Rescue and Rehoming, Inc.

A dalmatian seized from the property for disabled animals - operated by Lisa-Jayne Cameron - and a horse seized from an associated property have since had to be euthanized.

Most of the seized animals are continuing to receive veterinary treatment at the RSPCA Vet Services in Wacol and at the Veterinary Specialist Services in Jindalee.

No charges have been laid in the raid.

The Courier Mail has sought comment from Ms Cameron

Kerrie Gebert, 43, from Puppy Tales Rescue in Merrimu in Victoria said Lily was in the care of the rescue group for 13 months before Ms Cameron contacted them three years ago and offered to take the dog into her care.

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“We were contacted by LJ who gave us a spiel of how amazing Storybook was … and we had other people telling us how amazing it was, so we sent Lily up,” she said.

“She sent me a friend request on Facebook and kept me updated by letting me know Lily was doing well, but now that I think about it, they were rarely photo messages. The only photos she sent was when Lily had been out to events.”

Ms Gebert said the group had sent Lily to the farm with a pink wheelchair, which they eventually noticed other animals using in photos shared on social media.

“LJ called me in the middle of the night in January 2017 to let me know Lily had eaten her tail and had to have it amputated,” she said.

“Not long after that, she called to tell me she had been eating her legs and had to have her legs amputated. She told me this was a common thing for dogs with spinal injuries and that she would be taking her to the vet to undergo surgery to have both legs removed.

“The next update we received from her was a photo of Lily in a nappy and you couldn’t see her legs. We time framed that photo to be about November 2017.”

One of the 37 animals seized from the Storybook Farm Sacred Animal Garden property undergoes a CT scan at VSS Jindalee this week. Picture: RSPCA QLD.

One of the 37 animals seized by the RSPCA from the Storybook Farm Sacred Animal property undergoes a medical examination at VSS in Jindalee. Picture: RSPCA.

Ms Gebert said volunteers who travelled to Queensland to visit Lily were told to meet Ms Cameron at a beach, instead of going to the home.

The Courier Mail revealed last week that visitors to the Storybook Farm, when it was based in Canungra, were usually prevented from entering the house and, in some cases, even reaching the end of the driveway.

Ms Gerbert was among a number of people, including from rescue groups, who have tried ringing and sending text messages to Ms Cameron since the raid to try to find out where their dogs are, but said she has not responded.

“We just want to bring lily home, though it’s looking now like she’s no longer with us,” she said.

I’ve spoken to some people and the RSPCA and there has been no word or sightings of her since the move to the new property.

“I just want to know where Lily is. I want to bring her home, to be with the other dogs who have passed on and to have answers to find out where she is,” she said.

Ms Gerbert said Lily’s former owners surrendered Lily to the rescue group after thinking she had been hit by a car.

This dachshund is one of 37 animals the RSPCA seized from a farm for disabled animals last week. The animals have been receiving treatment at the RSPCA Wacol vet and the VSS Jindalee. Picture: RSPCA Qld.

One of the 37 animals seized from the Storybook Farm Sacred Animal Garden property undergoes an examination at VSS Jindalee this week. Picture: RSPCA QLD.

The dog, who would now be 12, underwent spinal surgery and rehabilitation therapy in Victoria for more than a year before being listed as available for adoption.

Ms Gerbert said she and her volunteers saw a post go up on the Storybook Farm Facebook page to raise money to transport Lily up from Victoria.

“There was a shout out on her Facebook page saying ‘This is Lily, let’s help save her,’ so she actually raised money from her followers to take Lily out of care,” she said.

Another dachshund, named Slinky, from a separate rescue group is also among the unaccounted for dogs, Ms Gerbert said.

“LJ called her the night before the raid and told her Slinky had passed away from a seizure,” she said.

“We don’t know where slinky is or where her body is, we don’t know anything.”

Lara Heggie, 32, of Morningside, thought she spotted her eight-year-old dachshund, Monty, in a video of the raid released by the RSPCA on Thursday.

However, she has since been informed by RSPCA inspectors that the microchip to the dog in the video did not match Monty’s microchip number so now had to wait for the RSPCA to complete their investigation.

Monty the dachshund was thought to have been spotted in a video released by the RSPCA as one of the dogs seized in a raid of the property known as the Storybook Farm Sacred Animal Garden. However, her owner claims the RSPCA has told her the microchip numbers with Monty and the similar-looking dog in the video do not match. Picture: Lara Heggie

The vets at Jindalee have performed neurological examinations and CT scans on 12 of the disabled pets seized in the raid.

RSPCA Queensland Vet Anne Chester said they are hopeful that something can be done.

“We would love to see these animals with a marked improvement in their quality of life and to be able to live pain free,” she said.

“Without the very generous assistance of time, expertise and equipment on offer from our friends at VSS Jindalee this exercise to see the best way forward for these poor dogs wouldn’t be possible.”

One of the dogs seized from a farm for disabled animals is assessed at the Veterinary Specialist Services in Jindalee. Picture: RSPCA Qld.

RSPCA Prosecutions Officer Tracey Jackson said people who sent their animals to Storybook or donated money should contact police or the Office of Fair Trading if they have any information.

“It’s just wonderful to see these dogs being assessed and now we are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

“We’re looking forward to trying to reunite some animals with their owners and find loving new homes for others.”

If anyone has information about any animals related to Storybook Farm please ring the RSPCA on 34269999 or email [e-mail]

Some of the vets, from Veterinary Specialist Services in Jindalee, assisting with examinations of the 37 disabled or injured animals seized from the Storybook Farm Sacred Animal Garden property. Picture: RSPCA QLD.