Puppy mill - over 100 dogs - Suffolk, VA

Tuesday, Mar 18, 2003

County: Suffolk City

Disposition: Not Charged

Person of Interest: John Glenworth Boudiette

A man charged with animal cruelty for keeping more than 100 Labrador retrievers in squalid conditions can never again own dogs in Suffolk. John G. Boudiette entered the plea agreement in General District Court. Boudiette, 51, was also facing two counts of allowing dogs to run at large and one count of failing to control the dogs' barking.

John Levin, a substitute judge from Portsmouth, did not prosecute the cruelty charge, dismissed two of the other charges and sentenced Boudiette to 10 days in jail for allowing the dogs to run. The sentence was suspended as long as Boudiette can prove he no longer has dogs.

Boudiette, once a breeder of champion retrievers, was living in his pickup truck on a wooded lot near the Suffolk airport, where he had built kennels, pens and doghouses. When winter rains swamped the property late last year, Boudiette's dogs were left in standing water with inadequate shelter.

That's when he called a friend in New York with an animal rescue group for help. When rescue workers moved in, they found the animals malnourished, sick and infested with worms and fleas. 
 
Boudiette contended that he fed the animals well and that conditions on his property were dry until a pump broke down and he was unable to move the water.

Dogs were taken from the property by rescue groups from as far away as New York. The animal cruelty charge came in January, after Boudiette said that all of the dogs were gone but more were found there.

More than a dozen animal-welfare activists attended the trial, carrying photos of the conditions they said they found when they first visited Boudiette's property.

Boudiette, dressed in a sport coat, striped shirt, a tie with Labrador retrievers on it, and a Lab tietack, brought photos of his dogs in better times and copies of his Boy Scout merit certificates for dog care.

Nathaniel Skeeter, head animal control officer, told the judge that Boudiette had been seen by one of his officers on Monday with two dogs in his pickup.

"I'm going to order you to have no dogs -- none -- zero," the judge told Boudiette. ``If it comes to my attention that you do have dogs, you will do those 10 days. I don't think you need to go to jail, but you will if you still have dogs.''

Prosecutor Anthony C. Williams said he was satisfied with the plea deal.

"This city is the length of my enforcement arm," Williams said. ``I would work with prosecutors in other jurisdictions if this happens again.''

Steve Ballard, with Animal Rescue of Tidewater, one of the first groups to see Boudiette's dogs, said he was disappointed with the outcome.

References

• Virginia Pilot

« Back to Search Results
« VA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Suffolk City County, VA

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.