Case Details

Puppy mill - 59 chihuahuas
Muncie, IN (US)

Date: Mar 25, 2004
Disposition: Convicted

Abuser/Suspect: Arlene Hoover

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 2339
Classification: Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: dog (non pit-bull)
View more cases in IN (US)
Login to Watch this Case

The owner of a rural facility that officials called a "puppy mill" has been charged with 59 counts of animal cruelty.

Arlene Hoover's Nebo Road facility was raided by police and animal control officers in March after complaints she was keeping 59 Chihuahuas and Miniature Pinschers in a small shed.

The dogs' cages were deep with moldy feces. Some dogs had severe dental problems and others had large tumors.

County Prosecutor Richard Reed said he filed 59 charges against Hoover because he was so disgusted by the dogs' living conditions.

The 59 charges of cruelty to an animal - a class B misdemeanor - were filed in Muncie City Court.

According to police reports, dogs were in stacked cages. "Under each cage was a tray approximately two inches deep ... completely filled with feces. The feces had been in the trays so long that mold had begun growing."

Reed said the operation could be characterized as a puppy mill, where dogs are raised in great numbers for commercial sale purposes.

Although animal welfare groups are looking for foster homes for the dogs, Reed believes the dogs might have to be destroyed because they've spent their lives in cages.

Rebekah Carr of Helping Animals Receive Mercy (HARM) - one of the humane groups that helped officers remove the dogs on March 25, 2004 - said the dogs, currently at the Randolph County Animal Shelter, might be placed in foster homes.

Carr said that people who wanted to take care of the dogs - possibly only until the outcome of Hoover's trial - should contact HARM at 254-HARM or the Unconditional Love Foundation at 287-9043.

Case Updates

Posted on Aug 9, 2004 - 11:53AM
Hoover has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. Hoover recently accepted a plea bargain that would see 58 of 59 counts of animal cruelty filed against her dropped. She pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty, a class B misdemeanor.

In exchange for the guilty plea, Hoover would be placed on probation and pay more than $2,823 for the costs of caring for the dogs seized.

She would also forfeit the dogs, most of them Chihuahuas and Miniature Pinschers that authorities said were kept in feces-filled cages in a small shed.

Delaware County Prosecutor Richard Reed - who said in May he was angered by photographs of the dogs - said Thursday his office was willing to drop most of the charges because Hoover agreed to forfeit the dogs and pay a "substantial fine."

Muncie City Court Judge Linda Ralu Wolf recently accepted the plea agreement, which allows Hoover to keep her kennel license but specifies that animal control officers will regularly inspect the kennel.

Acting on a complaint, police and animal control officers raided Hoover's kennel at 9500 N. Nebo Road in March. They found 59 small dogs in cages in a shed.

Photos taken by officers show that the cages were deep with moldy feces. Some dogs had dental problems and others had tumors.
Source: The Star Press - Auguest 9, 2004 
 
Posted on Jul 8, 2004 - 9:08PM
Hoover's trial is scheduled for July 15th

References

TheStarPress.com

« Back to Search Results



Send this page to a friend
© Copyright 2001-2006 Pet-Abuse.Com. All rights reserved. Site Map ¤ Disclaimer ¤ Privacy Policy