Backyard breeder - 10 dogs, puppies neglected
Greenland, NH (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Jan 30, 2010
County: Rockingham

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Dismissed

Persons of Interest:
» Carol A Jones
» Breana Martel

Case Updates: 5 update(s) available

A mother and daughter are charged with a combined 27 crimes alleging animal cruelty, selling dogs without a license and that the daughter presented her labrador retriever as an assistance dog using a license she bought online.

The daughter, Breanna Martel, 19, of 885 Portsmouth Ave., is charged with 12 Class A misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty alleging she subjected ten dogs and two cats to cruelty by keeping them in inhumane conditions.

According to Officer Wayne Young, most of the animals were found in Martel's living room on Dec. 11, 2009, cramped in cages stacked on top of one another. The cages were lined with animal waste, feces was on carpeting, a "filthy" cat box was on scene and ammonia tests conducted by an SPCA agent exceeded OSHA standards, said the officer.

The discovery came eight months after SPCA cruelty investigator Steve Sprowl warned Martel about operating an animal rescue she called "Seacoast Fur Babies" without a license, according to an affidavit by Young. The discovery was also one day after Martel falsely reported someone stole a dog from her, he said.

Martel is also charged with a misdemeanor alleging she sold a dog without required licenses from the state and the Department of Agriculture. Police allege the person she accused of stealing a dog was actually a buyer.

A sign posted on Martel's front door advertised chihuahua puppies for sale, according to police.

Martel is also charged with a misdemeanor count of prohibited acts alleging that when she made the false dog theft report at Greenland police headquarters, she entered the building with a harnessed Labrador Retriever, told police it was a service dog and presented a card to police which purported to be a license for a service dog. Young said police later learned the dog "was not a service dog and she purchased the card off the internet."

Martel's mother, Carol Jones, 42, is also charged with 12 counts of animal cruelty and a misdemeanor alleging a dog sale without proper licenses. Police allege Dept. of Agriculture information proves Jones had nine Chihuahua puppies shipped to her from Arkansas under her name.

Jones and Martel told the Herald in January they were rescuing needy animals and criticized the SPCA for "seizing" eight dogs and a cat. Young said Thursday that Jones voluntarily surrendered the animals to the SPCA and they have all since been placed in homes. With information that Martel is under psychological care, the SPCA left Martel with two dogs -- a German shepherd and the alleged service dog.

None of the 12 animals suffered from physical injury, said Young, explaining that all were neglected by squalid living conditions. He said the women warned in 2008 that they could be fined for selling dogs without a license.

"They were told a year-and-a-half ago to go through the proper channels," he said.

Following their arrests, the women were released on $5,000 personal recognizance bail and are scheduled to be arraigned in Portsmouth District Court on March 15, 2010.

Young said more charges may be forthcoming if anyone reports to police that they bought a dog from the women. He said people who bought dogs will not be charged with any crime because they likely didn't know the transaction was illegal. He said no dogs will be seized from unknowing buyers.

"It's probably naive to think that only one dog was sold," he said.

The prosecution of the women will "put some guidelines in place and hopefully we won't have to deal with it again," he said.

Last month Martel appealed to the Rockingham County Superior Court for the return of the animals and a judge denied her request.

Case Updates

References

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