The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 1

YL "I A farewell to Investment Guide ArtsU Entertainment Food Win a $500 shopping spree clip the coupon in Calvin Stocks that went up, or down, and predictions for 1996 in Business. Review Opinion A look back at the year's major events and a page of Tony Auth. The best films of '95 according to our critics, including unanimous votes for "Sense and Food, S4. A special tribute Sensibility." to the boy and his tiger in Comics. SCd Sunday, December 31, 1995 $1.50 Kennel club certifications are often worthless, ex-employees say.

Money may be why: Enforcement of rules would slow the flow. igging into the ARC: Taking cash for tainted dogs that the club does little or nothing to ensure that many of the dogs the club certifies as purebred are legitimately bred. In the last five years, the AKC has taken in more than $100 million in exchange for papers certifying more than six million dogs as pure-breds. Much of that money came from large kennels that sell dogs to brokers or to pet stores. The former AKC inspectors say those certifications are often worthless or untrue.

The inspectors say the AKC does not verify bloodlines. What it does is accept applications and fees and send out registration papers, relying mostly on the word of the breeder that the information submitted is true. They say the club's primary enterprise the registry of purebred dogs has been corrupted. So many dogs without proper papers and proven lineage have been ac-See DOGS on A14 show. AKC delayed taking strong action even after its own staff uncovered evidence of unidentified dogs and sloppy book work, former AKC inspectors said.

In an Inquirer investigation, six former AKC inspectors said in lengthy interviews that the dog registry of the American Kennel Club, a nonprofit organization widely regarded as the guarantor of the pedigrees of purebred dogs, is largely a sham. They say, and records show, That they found deplorable conditions at a "puppy mill" was not a surprise. That the Myers kennel dogs had the sanction of the highly respected American Kennel Club (AKC) is another matter. Myers was a breeder whose dogs had long been accepted for purebred registration by the AKC. AKC officials had known for several years that Myers was failing to keep proper records to prove that her dogs were purebred, AKC reports Three other puppies were sick, apparently with the deadly parvovirus.

Nursing mothers were living in cages without water. Many of the 150 dogs lived in virtual darkness, while others splashed around in mud tainted with their own excrement. Two small dogs had lost their paws to a male rottweiler who bit them off, Myers acknowledged. The officers captured the entire raid, including Myers' comments, on videotape. By Karl Stark INQUIRER STAFF WRITER 8 1995 The Philadelphia Inquirer David Bartscher and Robert 0.

Baker can't forget the dead dogs they pulled out of Shirley Myers' kennel. The humane officers had traveled to the prairie town of Mitchell, S.D., to raid the kennel with Davison County Sheriff Lyle Swenson. They found three dead rottweiler puppies stuffed in trash bags of excrement. No sweat at Vet as Eagles crush Detroit in playoff opener. fibrils? nf'ts First GI injured in Bosnia His vehicle struck a land mine.

The casualty came on a day of both success and failure for NATO. Budget accord remains elusive Talks failed to bring an end to the government shutdown. All parties said they were making progress, but slowly. One Rhodes knew what to say to his team. His daughter helped.

Ray Rhodes began spinning his home-invasion theory Friday night. The Eagles were settled in at the Doubletree Hotel in Center City, where they stay the night before each home game, and were about to sit down to a team dinner when Rhodes gave them a little pep talk. ByFawnVrazo INQUIRER STAFF WRITER ORASJE, Bosnia-Herzegovina Thp, U.S. Army suffered its first casualty in Bosnia yesterday when an antitank mine exploded, injuring a soldier on reconnaissance patrol. Spec.

Martin John Begosh of Rock-ville, fractured his right lower leg and injured his right foot, NATO officials said, when his Humvee a lightly armored, jeep-like vehicle struck the snow-covered mine on a back road. Begosh's mother, Judy, said from her Rockville home that she was told her son's injuries "weren't too serious." The mishap long anticipated and feared by U.S. military officials because of Bosnia's estimated 3 million to 6 million land mines came on a day of both achievement and disappointment for the new NATO peace operation in Bosnia. In Washington, President Clinton expressed regret over Begosh's injury. He also said, however, that See BOSNIA on A11 He compared the Detroit Lions football team to a home invader.

The kind you hear about on Action News. The kind that breaks into your house, attacks your wife and beats your children, and then takes every mm Bv Rohert A. Rankin INQUIRER WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON With the clock ticking down to a new year, President Clinton and congressional leaders yesterday failed again to end the partial government shutdown or to agree on how to balance the federal budget. Clinton and top lawmakers from both parties wrestled with those challenges for four hours through a working lunch yesterday, then broke off without comment. They talked for two more hours last night, and another session was scheduled for this morning.

President Clinton was to take a break this afternoon and fly to Hilton Head, S.C., for New Yea'rs Eve where he was to take part in a Renaissance Weekend session and play some golf. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole Kan.) was scheduled for a series of political events in New Hampshire. And House Speaker Newt Gingrich Ga.) planned to travel to his congressional district in Georgia. Despite all the talk, there was no sign a breakthrough was imminent. All sides reported making progress, but slowly.

"It is not going swiftly," White House press secretary Michael McCurry said in the afternoon. For the first time yesterday, the leaders focused on some specifics. They discussed taxes and welfare during the day and were to tackle Medicare later, McCurry said. Asked the significance of the un-See BUDGET on A6 Timothy Dwyer To Our Readers Via VSrf I thing you own. Then Rhodes challenged his team to stand up to this menace.

Now this may seem a little over the top, but Ray Rhodes is a supreme motivator of men and he knew that this kind of macho talk would be a direct and raw challenge to their collective manhood. Who wouldn't want to stand up for home and family? This motivational weapon was handed to Rhodes by a Detroit Lion named Lomas Brown, who had the bad sense to guarantee that the Lions would beat the Eagles at their cozy ce-See RHODES on A4 Inquirer Magazine is on holiday today, so you will not find it among the other inserts with this paper. The magazine will return Jan. 7. The Philadelphia Inquirer RON CORTES Charlie Garner celebrates his 15-yard touchdown run, which helped the Eagles gain a 38-7 halftime lead on their way to a 58-37 rout.

Complete coverage in Sports, Section C. Inside The annual critic's list of what's in and out. LifeStyle. Features Ann Landers. Police track 'at-risk' officers H6 Planning a party that's 1 in a 1,000.

Four years away, eve of 2000 already poses a space odyssey Sections Books Business Entertainment. Lifestyle Food Real Estate ReviewOpinion Sports Travel CLASSIFIED Autos Fl Death Notice D12 Help Wanted Gl Editorials E6 Horoscope H6 Obituaries B7 TV Puzzle TV24 Word Puzzles K7 "The List" contains those who have had several complaints. The department says it's part of a future policy. The FOP says it's used to punish officers. TV Week Comics doesn't look good.

Two hundred seats are already taken. You could, of course, add your name to the 300-person waiting list. You might have a shot at the world's most luxurious ocean liner, the Queen Elizabeth II. But maybe not. The Millennium Society is trying to lock up the liner for the evening.

"It wouldn't occur to me to think about this, but clearly a lot of people are," said Shelly Clark, with Tavern on the Green restaurant in New See 2000 on A12 reer the most for any officer on the force. For three years, the Philadelphia Police Department has secretly compiled a list of officers it considers at-risk employees. Copies of the lists obtained by The Inquirer show that the 1993 list contained the names of 21 officers Zaffino, Robinson, DeBellis and Ferreira among them. The 21 officers had a combined total of 180 complaints brought against them and about $2 million in lawsuit settlements. The list raises more questions about the department's ability to police itself.

Internal Affairs records -show that some officers committed serious breaches of conduct but See POLICE on A15 By Sandy Baucrs INQUIRER STAFF WRITER If you still haven't made plans for New Year's Eve, time is running out. No, not for tonight. For 1999. Popularly viewed as the eve of the next millennium and consequently the biggest and best excuse to celebrate in the last 1,000 years, Dec. 31, 1999, has already triggered a rush for reservations at some of the more exclusive global party spots.

Had a notion to spend the evening atop the Seattle Space Needle? Forget it. The landmark has been booked since 1991. The Rainbow Room at the top of Rockefeller Center in Manhattan? It Weather Wet snow or rain possible late today. High 42; low 34. Cloudy tomorrow.

Full report, E8. Philadelphia Online To get today's Inquirer electronically, browse: http:www.phillynews.com brought by the family of a West Philadelphia photographer who died in a struggle with police after a routine traffic stop. Officer Willie Robinson has been on The List for two years. In 1994, the police Internal Affairs Division upheld a citizen complaint that alleged he stomped on two North Philadelphia men, put a gun to their heads, and threatened to blow their brains out after someone threw a bucket of water at his car. Officer Leo Ferreira is there, too.

He has ha 20 civilian complaints filed against him in a nine-year ca By Mark Fazlollah and Richard Jones INQUIRER STAFF WHITERS Officer Robert Zaffino is on The List. The city has settled three lawsuits brought against him, one alleging that he ran over a Town Watch member while chasing a suspect, another alleging that he punched a woman who complained he tromped on her flowers. Officer Robert DeBellis is also a member of The List. The city has settled three lawsuits against him as well, one for $250,000 167th Year, No. 214 1995, Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.

Call 215-665-1234 or 1-800-523-9066 lor home delivery. For 1996, fireworks, the Mummers and First Night. Bl. Ill.