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Case #2590 Rating: 2.7 out of 5
Pet Store Charged - Cruelty to Animals
Omaha, NE (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jul 23, 2004
County: Douglas
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Stephanie Patterson
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
The owner of Pets A' Mor" will be charged with keeping unsanitary conditions and cruelty to animals.
The Pets A' Mor Pet Store in Benson has been shut down and seven puppies have been euthanized after the Humane Society found a very contagious and potentially fatal disease there.
Twenty-one dogs were removed from the store and seven puppies were found to be suffering from the intestinal infection Parvo.
Veterinarian Dr. Tanja Katz says, "Some of the puppies are in very, very bad shape. They're near death."
There were also other animals removed from the pet store, all of them suffering from some type of health problem.
The Nebraska Humane Society's Tina Updegrove says, "A couple of animals have mange. There's a tumor on a rat. There's multiple injuries to rats that are being kept together, that have fought each other. Those are all being removed. We have a very skinny snake."
Humane Society officials say that the owner of the pet store will not talk to them until she talks to her attorney.
The animals that remain inside Pets A' Mor will be cared for and monitored by the Humane Society. No animals will be allowed to come or go from the building.
Case UpdatesPatterson has pleaded guilty to eight charges related to improper care of animals. Prosecutors dropped the 20 other charges against Patterson on Oct 15, largely because they needed the testimony of a witness who is incarcerated in an Illinois federal prison, said City Prosecutor Marty Conboy.
The witness wouldn't have been available for many weeks, Conboy said.
Patterson owned Pets A'Mor at 7006 Maple St. when someone who worked at the store told the Nebraska Humane Society about the sick animals "because she couldn't stand it any longer," according to court records.
One dead dog was found inside a trash bin. Seven dogs suffering from parvovirus were euthanized. Other animals, including hamsters and rats, were found with untreated wounds and tumors.
Douglas County Judge Lawrence Barrett fined Patterson $1,200 - or $150 per charge.
Patterson's pet store license wasn't revoked, but she has no animals to stock Pets A'Mor because she relinquished the other animals, said Pam Wiese, a Humane Society spokeswoman. | Source: Omaha.Com - Oct 19, 2004
Update posted on Oct 19, 2004 - 3:19PM |
The former owner of the Pets A' Mor pet store has pleaded not guilty to 30 counts of animal cruelty.
Stephanie Patterson entered her plea in court Tuesday morning. She was the owner of the Benson shop. | Source: WOWT
Update posted on Sep 1, 2004 - 7:47PM |
References
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