Kennewick Puppy mill- Sentenced

[snowballsmom]

copied from Peskipix
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/08/12/1128467/court-kennewick-dog-breeder-sentenced.html#ixzz0wVH86JQA

COURT: Kennewick dog breeder sentenced to 90 days for animal cruelty
By Paula Horton, Herald staff writer
     
KENNEWICK A dog breeder was sentenced today to 90 in jail for keeping her American Eskimo dogs in deplorable conditions at her east Kennewick home. She's also not allowed to own animals for the next five years.

Benton County Superior Court Judge Bruce Spanner agreed to let Ella Stewart, 67, spend the time on work crew. She also was ordered to pay numerous standard court fines, including a fine $2,500 to Benton County Animal Control.

She pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree animal cruelty, a felony, and nine counts of second-degree animal cruelty, gross misdemeanors.

Stewart had several supporters who spoke on her behalf.

Stewart said she loved the dogs and they were her children but things just got out of control. She said she did the best she could.

After the sentencing, Benton County Sheriff Larry Taylor said he was appalled that Stewart never once apologized or showed remorse for the condition the dogs had been left in.

Stewart, who runs Sun Valley Kennel, previously had denied allegations that she did not properly care for her dogs and was set to stand trial at the end of the month.

Stewart was jailed briefly in May 2009 after a Benton County sheriff’s deputy discovered hundreds of the white dogs with matted hair living in makeshift pens and covered in feces and urine.

Later that month, the sheriff’s office, with help from the Humane Society of the United States, seized 371 dogs, ranging in age from newborn to late teens, from Stewart’s property.

She gave up rights on the pups, and the dogs were sent to dozens of shelters and rescue organizations across the Pacific Northwest for adoption.

The felony charge is for five dogs that had to be euthanized after being rescued. Their health problems ranged from an infected uterus and kidney infections to a ruptured eye and brain injury, court documents said.

Each of the gross misdemeanor charges was for a specific dog, but the case covered all of the neglected dogs taken from Stewart.

Read more: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/08/12/1128467/court-kennewick-dog-breeder-sentenced.html#ixzz0wVmqzdb0

[109ACE]

90 days? A slap on the hand.

[Steve]

Yep, I would have like to see more but at least something was done....

[jennyb]

And she can't own animals for only 5 years?!?!  How about for the rest of her life...

[katie's mom]

Jenny:  In five years, she'll be 72, presumably a little advanced in age to have the energy to start this awfulness all over again.  Too, I'd imagine that the animal control folks would be peeking in every once in a while.

[jennyb]

Umm, my father is 73 and has plenty of energy that if he had the inclination, he could start that sort of thing up.  5 years simply ain't enough in my book

[katie's mom]

Oh, I agree absolutely that five years isn't enough!  Twenty seems more reasonable to me.  I'm just hoping that between her having slowed down a bit and the vigilance of the authorities maybe we can hope the dog world is safe from a continuation of her unconscionable behavior.

[woofwoofrufus]

We only heard about this case after our Ameican Eskimo died of old age; in the few stories we've read, this woman was described as a 'breeder' --- but it sounds to me, here, that she actually was an Animal Hoarder and is very sick.

I can't imagine that the sentence is only 90 days --- think of the many thousands of dollars and many thousands of volunteer hours by so many to rescue these eskies from vile deplorable conditions, it's just NOT right that the sentence is for a mere 3 months.

[Eskielvr]

Now if she had violated AKC rules concerning a mere record keeping or not having records available, she would be fined $5000 and banned for 10 years, or something along those lines. Yet when animal cruelty is concerned, they always seem to get a lesser sentence, which seems backwards to me.

[Lynne]

In my opinion her sentence was nothing for the damage she has caused to these dogs.

Now that I own one of "her" dogs and see first hand the damage done to him I will never understand
how anyone can do this to dogs or any animal for that matter.  She should never ever be able to own another animal of any kind.

Love never entered into it!

[Yukon]

In my opinion her sentence was nothing for the damage she has caused to these dogs.

Now that I own one of "her" dogs and see first hand the damage done to him I will never understand
how anyone can do this to dogs or any animal for that matter.  She should never ever be able to own another animal of any kind.

Love never entered into it!

Lynne, I thought of you and Bear when I saw this.  Too bad 90 days in a shopping cart would probably be considered "cruel and unusual"... that wouldn't compare to what she put poor Bear through.

[Keith-Dawg]

That light sentence is typical of what is happening in our country, if you do not punish the lawbreakers properly, they will probably commit another crime.