Puppy mill - 60 dogs, 3 found dead - Bangor, PA

Thursday, Jan 20, 2000

Anna Frumina, a former Washington Township kennel owner, pleaded guilty on Feb. 23 to one count of cruelty to animals. The Express-Times newspaper originally incorrectly reported that she pleaded guilty to 27 counts of cruelty to animals.

Those 27 counts were actually dropped after Frumina pleaded guilty to the 28th count. District Justice Todd Strohe levied a $100 fine, plus court costs. According to an affidavit signed by a Northampton County SPCA Humane Society police officer, officers searching Frumina's property found 28 dogs living in filthy or unsafe conditions.

The court document claimed that pens in which dogs were kept appeared to have not been cleaned in months, and that dead rodents and animal carcasses were on the site.

The affidavit said that water was not provided to some of the dogs, and that the water provided to some other dogs "was green and stagnant."

According to the affidavit, dogs on the property were also found chewing on "what appeared to be animal fat."

State law requires meat to be cooked to a certain temperature, the document said.

Township and Humane Society officials have been targeting Frumina since January 2000, when inspectors found 57 dogs living in unsanitary conditions at Frumina's RUSDOG Kennel on Delaware Drive.

State law permits only 50 dogs in a kennel, while a person can only own 25 dogs without a kennel license. Along with the dogs, the inspectors found deer carcasses and unsanitary conditions at the property during the January 2000 inspection. After that inspection, Frumina gave up her kennel license.

However, the affidavit signed by the SPCA enforcement officer after the October inspection claimed that Frumina was also advertising on the Internet, claiming she was back in business as a dog breeder.

Without a kennel license, Frumina cannot sell dogs. Additionally, township zoning officials last year attempted to get a court order to allow them to come onto the RUSDOG property in order to clean the site themselves.

However, Frumina, her attorney and the township reached an agreement last month that will allow the township's officials to come onto the property with two days' notice. Frumina has said that she is trying to get the kennel up to code so that she can sell the property.

References

• The Express Times - Feb 24, 2001 The Morning Call - Feb 24, 2001 The Express Times - Correction published March 2, 2001

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