HBO: Tell us how you both came to the project.
Tom Simon:About six years ago, I started developing the idea of a film that would look at the use of animals in medical research, the conditions in which they were used, and what the benefits were of using them. And it was going to be kind of a fairly traditional journalistic approach, but one that would, of necessity, use images of animals, some of which were in great distress and in bad situations because that's often what happens when they're used in research. I pitched it everywhere, and it became clear to me that there was really only one place that could handle a subject that was both so emotionally charged and so graphic, and that was HBO.
At that point we had to go and find the subject of the film, really, because we knew we wanted to work with undercover animal rights activists, and there aren't that many of them. We started with People for Ethical Treatment of Animals. And we'd also heard a little about Last Chance for Animals.
Sarah Teale: We had a meeting with Chris De Rose from Last Chance For Animals, and in the initial research that Tom had done about this issue, we knew about Martin Creek Kennels, and its owner C.C. Baird. He was the most notorious B dealer of dogs. B dealer means that he can buy dogs that are considered random source. In other words, he can buy dogs from anybody who claims they own the dog and, and raise the dog themselves. He also can buy dogs from animal shelters that are unclaimed. And as you see in the film, these dogs are often bought for fifteen or twenty dollars at country flea markets. Many of them are suspected to be stolen pets.
So we met Chris De Rose in my office in New York. Tom and I were there. Chris De Rose dropped the hint that they were trying to get someone undercover at Martin Creek Kennels. And the good thing about Tom having done so much research was we knew right away how significant that was, and how potentially exciting. And so we set off following these four different people, and one of them is the character (in the film) called Pete.
Tom Simon: We spent an incredible couple of days with these guys. I was able to shoot Pete in this shithole trailer that he lived in, getting dressed for work, wiring himself up with his cameras and microphones, and going off to work in this place.
HBO: Explain a little bit about the equipment he used.
Tom Simon: He uses a hidden camera. We do not disclose a lot of specifics about the camera because we feel it would compromise the security of other people who are doing the kind of work that he is doing - some of which are law enforcement people, too, by the way. But he wears a hidden camera on his person, a separate hidden microphone and it fed into a very tiny, mini-DV recorder that he strapped to himself. So you see in the film him putting all this complicated equipment on and essentially wearing two pairs of clothing, one to conceal the equipment, and one on the outside that he worked in. And he shot over seventy hours of footage during the five months while he was undercover.And as you can see in the film, it's pretty powerful stuff. And the USDA, which licenses B dealers, has fairly comprehensive rules about the conditions in which dogs are supposed to be kept by them -- requirements about the amount of cage space, the access to veterinary care, food, cleanliness. And basically, what Pete was doing was documenting both the violations of the USDA regulations, which fall under the Animal Welfare Act, and the means by which he seemed to acquire these dogs, and dispose of the dogs. I mean, one of the most harrowing sequences in the film is a visit that we made to what's known as "the Trench," which is an area on Baird's property. It's an open trench some hundred feet long that contains the carcasses in various stages of decay of dogs that were disposed of from the kennel. A lot of them died of disease, a lot of them died because they were over-crowded and they were in fights.
HBO: What might have happened to Pete had his true identity been revealed?
Tom Simon: I mean, he has two huge things weighing on his mind: One is his own safety because the guys in the kennel talked all the time about animal rights people and what they would do if they ever found one. The other thing is the incredible moral dilemma he felt seeing dogs be terribly mistreated, and suffering and not being able to save them in the way that he would like to. One of the most horrific scenes in the film is the story of a little black dog who one of the kennel guys claimed was a "biter." And he was summarily taken out and shot in the head. And Pete got it on camera. It's pretty rough stuff.
HBO: So after six months of undercover taping, he then takes his footage to federal authorities. What happened?
Tom Simon: Well, the wheels of justice ground slowly. Just to give you an idea of kind of the time line: Pete leaves his job in May of 2002 and within a couple months turns over the evidence to the U.S. Attorney. And it takes a year for the raid to take place. The raid takes place August 26th, 2003. Then for there to be any legal action it takes until March 11th of 2004. The USDA issues a complaint against Baird charging severe mistreatment and neglect of animals, falsification of health certificates, et cetera. And it was a huge complaint, but he's still buying dogs at the same flea market we shot him at. And it takes until the end of January of last year, 2005, for him to lose his license and pay the largest fine ever imposed under the Animal Welfare Act. And still the feds haven't acted. There's really two legal actions going on: The civil action under the Animal Welfare Act done by the USDA and then this criminal action that finally comes to bear fruit August 31st of 2005, where he pleads guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy. And he surrenders over a million dollars worth of land and pays a stiff fine. But he still hasn't been sentenced yet. And he faces up to ten years in jail and another million dollars in fines.
Sarah Teale: The good thing about HBO is that they have the bigger picture in mind. And Last Chance for Animals has a bill in Congress called The Pet Safety and Protection Act. And they have been trying to get this through for many years. So there is a bigger plan to basically stop using B dealers.
Tom Simon: The bill would essentially outlaw the use of B dealers these guys who were allowed to buy dogs from random sources where there is so much room for abuse, as opposed to from legitimate breeders.
HBO: What do you hope audiences will take away from the film?
Sarah Teale: Well, there is a bigger issue, which is that the USDA is supposed to inspect these dealers. There aren't enough USDA inspectors to go around, but many of them don't do their job. And so we hope that there is a rethink within the USDA about actually inspecting these dealers.
Tom Simon: The USDA is not only charged with inspecting B dealers, but they are charged with inspecting the research labs themselves. There's a huge amount of animal facilities that are under the aegis of the USDA. They're woefully understaffed. Many would say that they're totally in the pocket of industry, and that their enforcement is very lax. People need to be aware of the fact that, that the government's protection of animals is really in need of examination and redress.
HBO: And the animals that were rescued from the kennel have all found homes?
Tom Simon: Yes.
Sarah Teale: They were all adopted.
