Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Puppy mill - 92 English springer spaniels seized

Puppy mill - 92 English springer spaniels seized
Dover Foxcroft, ME (US)

Incident Date: Friday, Apr 15, 2005
County: Piscataquis
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted

Abusers/Suspects:
» Mark Hagelin
» Burton Hagelin, Sr. - Dismissed

Case Updates: 17 update(s) available

Case ID: 4408

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment, Hoarding

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Animal welfare agents are providing medical treatment and care to 92 English springer spaniels that were seized from a home where they were allegedly living in unsanitary conditions without food or water.

Agents from the state animal welfare program used a warrant to search the home of Mark Hagelin of Gray Hill Road on Friday, April 15, 2005. Ten agents, veterinarians and volunteers took nine hours to catch, inventory and transport the dogs to shelters.

Fecal matter and urine were "everywhere, inside and outside the home," said Rochelle Black, adoption manager for the Bangor Humane Society. "The animals had no access to food or water. Their bodies were basically eating themselves to stay alive."

The dogs that were loose were drinking from puddles, and dead dogs were found on the property, she said. The amount of waste on the home�s floor was so great that it was seeping through and dripping into the basement, she added.

As of Monday afternoon, Hagelin had not been charged with any crime. Norma Worley, director of the state animal welfare program, said she will forward a complaint to the Piscataquis County district attorney by the end of the week.

"The conditions were horrendous," Worley said.

Calls to the Hagelin home on Monday were not returned.

Neighbors on Gray Hill Road said they had been complaining about dogs barking and running loose for at least three years. One neighbor said that the dogs often ran loose in packs of eight or 10, and that people walking in the area were afraid.

Steven Robinson, director of investigations for the American Kennel Club, said that Hagelin�s AKC breeder�s license was suspended in December for 10 years because he refused to make his records and kennel available for inspection when requested by AKC officials.

At least one of the English springer spaniels bred by Hagelin found its way to the Blaine House in Augusta. Sam was purchased by first lady Karen Baldacci from Hagelin, said Lynn Kippax, spokesman for Gov. John Baldacci.

"The first lady responded to a newspaper ad and went and saw the dog," Kippax said. "That is the extent of the relationship between them."

The seized dogs were sent to the Bangor Humane Society and the Kennebec Valley Humane Society in Augusta since the state does not have its own shelter, Worley said.

Case Updates

An animal cruelty case in Piscataquis County that's been in and out of court for more than a year came to an end on the afternoon of Oct 6. Last April, nearly 100 dogs were removed from Mark Hagelin's home in Dover Foxcroft. Today he pleaded guilty to animal cruelty.

After 4 months locked up in the piscataquis county jail, mark hagelin arrives at court, ready to plead guilty...

In april of 2005, police charged hagelin with animal cruelty, after animal welfare agents found 91 English Springer Spaniels living in deplorable conditions at Hagelin's home in Dover-Foxcroft.

"What he did was he got himself into a situation where he had 91 dogs he couldn't care for," said Chris Almy, district attorney. "They were all over the house in pathetic conditions, dehydrated. The dogs shouldn't have been in those living conditions."

Following the seizure, Hagelin tried to fight the charges, sometimes acting in his own defense. Eventually, he ended up in jail, which is an unusual development in a case like this.

"What happened was, once he was charged with cruelty to animals he was released on bail and part of the bail was for him to stay away from dogs and there were a number of times when he had dogs at his house and continued to violate that bail," said Almy.

In court Hagelin faced up to more than a dozen charges including multiple bail violations, perjury and animal cruelty. He pleaded guilty in exchange for time served.

"Sometimes you have to go along with things you don't believe in and i'm going along with this because it will expedite my ability to file a lawsuit," said Hagelin.

Prosecutors made sure Hagelin won't get himselt into a situation like this again. A judge agreed, he can only own one dog, spayed or neutered for the next twenty years. But Hagelin has plans of his own.

"I might go out of state, i'm tired of being harassed and there comes a day of reckoning. I want reckoning, i want justice. I don't feel i got justice," said Hagelin

Hagelin was also ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution to the state, but since Hagelin has no assets it's unlikely the state will get that money back.

Source: WCHS - Oct 7, 2006
Update posted on Oct 8, 2006 - 1:27PM

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A man accused of animal abuse who allegedly violated his release conditions eight times asked a judge on February 14, 2006 to change his bail conditions so he could attend a church and go to the library. Justice Jeffrey Hjelm turned down the requests by Mark Hagelin, 45, of Dover-Foxcroft. Hagelin has been under house arrest pending his trial on alleged cruelty to animals. He sought the change through his court-appointed attorney, Randy Day of Garland, in Piscataquis County Superior Court. "It would just create problems for the whole community," said District Attorney R. Christopher Almy, who argued against the motion. "I think it's just a formula for problems."

Hagelin was charged after authorities seized 92 spaniel-type dogs in April 2005 from a house he shared with his mother and father and from a kennel the family operated on the property. Authorities said the animals had little food or water. Hagelin's father also was charged in the case, but the charge was dropped after he died.

Hagelin told Hjelm he was living under house arrest in a home that has had no heat downstairs since November 2005. Hagelin also said he had not received a speedy trial on the two oldest counts against him, so he sought to have the counts of cruelty to animals and a count of violating condition of release dropped, a motion also denied by Hjelm. It is expected that separate trials will be held on each of the 11 counts pending against Hagelin as requested by Day. Hagelin has been charged with one count each of cruelty to animals, refusing to sign uniform summons complaint and criminal mischief and eight counts of violating condition of release. The trial on the charge of cruelty to animals will begin on February 23, 2006.

Leaning on a cane because of a back injury, Hagelin also asked to reserve the right to act as co-counsel for his case and be allowed to interrogate witnesses. Hjelm noted that only one person could question witnesses, either Hagelin himself or his attorney. The fact that he would be restricted during his trials prompted an outburst from Hagelin. He threatened to fire Day, a threat he has carried forward with at least three other attorneys since April 2005.

Source: Bangor Daily News - February 15, 2006
Update posted on Feb 25, 2006 - 11:54AM

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A local man charged with cruelty to animals had his bail revoked Thursday and was placed under house arrest.

Mark Hagelin, 45, who now reportedly suffers from a back problem and walks with a cane, cannot leave the home he shares with his mother, Carol Hagelin, 69, unless it is to meet with his court-appointed attorney, Randy Day of Garland, or to visit a doctor, and then only if he has given Dover-Foxcroft police prior notice.

In imposing the order Thursday in Piscataquis County Superior Court, Justice Joseph Jabar also prohibited Hagelin from having any dogs in the house and approved random police searches of the Hagelin property.

Jabar pointed out that he was placing Hagelin under house arrest only to relieve the burden of law enforcement.

"Thank you, your honor," Hagelin replied in court, appearing subdued and disheveled. He had asked to be placed under house arrest.

A lawsuit filed by Hagelin against the state in U.S. District Court in Bangor regarding the seizure was dismissed this week by U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Kravchuk.

Hagelin, who was arrested on Monday, failed to make a scheduled Nov. 21 Superior Court appearance on charges stemming from the April seizure. He managed to elude police for a week before he was found at his mother's house.

Five spaniel-type dogs found inside the home were seized by the state on Wednesday.

Bail conditions prohibited Hagelin from being around dogs and ordered that he notify authorities of his whereabouts, orders that Hagelin repeatedly violated, according to R. Christopher Almy, Piscataquis County district attorney. He said in court Thursday that Hagelin had eight pending violations of bail conditions in addition to the cruelty to animals charge.

Hagelin pleaded not guilty Thursday to the two latest charges that resulted from his arrest.

Lt. Scott Arno of the Dover-Foxcroft Police Department said Thursday that Hagelin was found on Monday hiding in a small closet that had a clothes hamper pushed up against its door. He testified in court that Hagelin had his fingers through the door and was holding onto the hamper so it couldn't be moved

Carol Hagelin had told police that her son was not home and that she believed he had gone to Portland, Arno said. Hagelin is due back in court in January.

Conditions inside the Hagelin home were similar to those found in April when authorities seized the 92 dogs, Arno told the court.

"It was very unhealthy in my opinion," he said. There was an extensive amount of trash along with dog feces inside the home, he testified.

Arno said he learned that Carol and Mark Hagelin had traveled together recently to Appleton where Carol Hagelin had put a $200 deposit on two Brittany spaniel puppies that would be made available to her later this month. He also believed that two Brittany spaniels found inside the house earlier this week were purchased from another Appleton resident.

Carol Hagelin told police that Hagelin did not go with her to Appleton, and Hagelin said the same Thursday as he sat on the witness stand with his legs crossed.

"It wasn't my doings," he said of the new additions. He testified that his mother would not continue with the purchase of the two puppies and that there would be no dogs inside the home.

Hagelin also testified that he hadn't known that he was expected in court last week because his former court-appointed attorney had sent the notice to the wrong address. He also said he had notified the authorities of his whereabouts as part of his bail up until the death of his father, when he returned home.

"I shouldn't have, but I went home," Hagelin said, adding that he had no other place to stay and no money. He also said he felt he had to help his widowed mother with the funeral arrangements.

Contacted after the Thursday hearing, Norma Worley, director of the Maine Animal Welfare Program, said Carol Hagelin had willingly surrendered all but her dog Apple's Dumplin, but the state took Apple's Dumplin anyway. Worley said all of the animals were given to the Bangor Humane Society, and all but Apple's Dumplin will be placed up for eventual adoption.

While she did not participate in the seizure of the dogs, Worley said it was her understanding that the dogs had not been given any veterinary care before they were seized.

"One of the Brittanys had several puncture wounds on her," injuries that likely came from a dog fight, she said. She did not think that any of the dogs were the puppies that Apple's Dumplin had delivered earlier this fall after the original seizure was conducted. The dog had escaped the property when the search was conducted, and the court allowed Carol Hagelin, who was not charged in the case, to keep the animal.

Worley said Carol Hagelin's dog Apple's Dumplin will be held until a possession hearing is held next week in 13th District Court in Dover-Foxcroft.

Source: Bangor Daily News - Dec 2, 2005
Update posted on Dec 9, 2005 - 9:25AM

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Mark Hagelin failed to show up last week for his trial on a charge of cruelty to animals. He was arrested Monday at his mother's Gray Hill Road home.

Dover-Foxcroft police executed a search warrant at Carol Hagelin's home at about 4 p.m. where they found Hagelin, 45, hiding in a "cubbyhole" on the second floor.

"He put up no resistance,"' Dover-Foxcroft police Officer Dave Wilson said. Hagelin was taken to the Piscataquis County Jail. He is expected to appear in Piscataquis County Superior Court sometime this week.

Warrants for Hagelin's arrest were ordered Nov. 21 when he failed to appear in Piscataquis County Superior Court on charges stemming from the seizure in April of 92 dogs he co-owned. During last week's court session, no one, including Hagelin's court-appointed attorney, Richard Hartley of Bangor, could tell Superior Court Justice Joseph Jabar where Hagelin now lived.

The warrants covered the cruelty to animals charge as well as several violations of bail conditions. Hagelin allegedly violated his bail conditions by being around dogs when ordered not to and by failing to notify officials of his whereabouts.

Hagelin was charged with cruelty to animals after state and local authorities executed a search warrant in April at the home he shared with his parents, the late Burton Sr. and Carol Hagelin, and at a kennel on their Dover-Foxcroft property. Authorities said the dogs were living in filth and were not properly fed or watered. Burton Hagelin Sr. also was charged with cruelty to animals, but his case was dismissed upon his death last month.

The Bangor Police Department kept tabs on a Hammond Street residence where Hagelin reportedly had been staying off and on, Lt. Jeff Millard said Monday. Officers also were given descriptions of Hagelin and a vehicle he had been seen driving and were told to keep an eye out for both, Millard said.

Source: Bangor News - Nov 29, 2005
Update posted on Nov 29, 2005 - 11:05AM

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The trial of Mark Hagelin, accused of cruelty to animals in connection with the state's seizure of 92 dogs from a kennel he owned with his parents, may be held this month in Piscataquis County Superior Court.

Whether his trial is heard in Dover-Foxcroft may hinge upon whether an impartial jury can be selected to hear the case.

He also faces five counts of violating his conditions of release, refusing to sign a uniform summons complaint, and criminal mischief

Source: Bangor Daily News - November 21, 2005
Update posted on Nov 21, 2005 - 1:14PM

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Burton Hagelin, 74, died Thursday at a Bangor hospital.

"He basically lost his will to live," Mark Hagelin said Friday morning after notifying the Bangor Daily News that his father had died. "They [state and local officials] broke his spirit."

Since he is deceased, the case against the elder Hagelin will be dismissed, according to the Piscataquis County District Attorney's Office.

The younger Hagelin said his father had left the family home several weeks ago and had been living in a Newport motel to avoid any contact with dogs as court ordered, pending his trial.

Because he had to pay those living expenses, he was unable to make the mortgage payments on his home and the mortgage holder had started foreclosure proceedings, Hagelin said.

"My dad didn't deserve this. I lost my father, and I am pissed," Mark Hagelin said.

The stress of losing his pet, having to move out of a home he had owned for more than 30 years, and being on trial aggravated his heart condition, his son said.

Hagelin said his father put the rights of animals before himself, and for that, he planned to file a $50 million lawsuit against the state.

"I'm going to make all these people pay for the torment they put him through," Hagelin said.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been released.

Source: Bangor News - Oct 22, 2005
Update posted on Oct 24, 2005 - 2:54PM

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Mark Hagelin is back in the Piscataquis County Jail after being arrested Wednesday on a warrant seeking to revoke his bail. Hagelin, 45, was arrested by Newport Police Chief Len MacDaid on Wednesday morning at the Pine Tree Motel on Route 2.

He is scheduled to appear today in 13th District Court in Dover-Foxcroft. It was the second time in less than a week that Hagelin has been arrested. Dover-Foxcroft police arrested him on Wednesday, Aug. 31, after they searched his home and found five puppies.

Officers were watching the Dover-Foxcroft home reportedly because Hagelin had been threatening suicide, Dover-Foxcroft Police Chief Dennis Dyer said last week.

Hagelin previously had been ordered to stay away from dogs.

He was released on Friday on $300 bail after appearing before 3rd District Court Judge Jessie Gunther in Bangor on charges of disorderly conduct and for violating his bail conditions by allowing dogs inside his Gray Hill Road home.

Gunther ordered Hagelin to undergo a mental examination within 21 days. No motion was made on Friday, however, to revoke bail.

Bail conditions forbid Hagelin from living at his home where the dogs, who are not yet weaned, are living. Apparently, he moved to the motel to avoid the dogs.

The warrant to revoke bail was based on the same conduct for which he was arrested last week, according to the Penobscot County District Attorney's Office.

Source: Bangor Daily News - Sept 8, 2005
Update posted on Sep 8, 2005 - 9:22AM

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A Dover-Foxcroft dog breeder was back in court Friday on charges that he violated bail conditions by allowing dogs inside his Gray Hill Road home.

Mark Hagelin, 45, appeared in 3rd District Court before Judge Jessie Gunther, who ordered Hagelin to undergo a mental examination within 21 days.

Police arrested Hagelin on Wednesday after they searched his home and found five puppies. Officers were watching the Dover-Foxcroft home reportedly because Hagelin had been threatening suicide, Dover-Foxcroft Police Chief Dennis Dyer.

When he was arrested, Hagelin intentionally banged his head against a police cruiser and was charged additionally with disorderly conduct, Piscataquis County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy said Friday.

A Piscataquis County sheriff's deputy said Hagelin posted $300 bail early Friday evening. He is scheduled back in court on Sept. 12 for a formal arraignment but will not be allowed back into his home until the dogs are gone.

Source: Bangor Daily News - Sept 3, 2005
Update posted on Sep 4, 2005 - 3:03AM

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A judge has turned down Hagelin's request to throw out a search warrant critical to the State's case against him.

Source: WLBZ - Aug 30, 3005
Update posted on Aug 30, 2005 - 8:45AM

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Five puppies were born recently to an English springer spaniel that a judge allowed to remain behind at the home of Carol Hagelin, Burton Hagelin Sr. and Mark Hagelin of Gray Hill Road. The dog, Apple's Dumplin, was the personal pet of Carol Hagelin, but no one knew at the time that the animal was pregnant.

Those puppies now pose a problem for Mark Hagelin, 45. Unless the dogs are moved, Mark Hagelin will be arrested, Dover-Foxcroft Police Chief Dennis Dyer said, after a hearing Monday in 13th District Court.

The younger Hagelin, who along with his father, Burton Hagelin Sr., 73, were charged with cruelty to animals as a result of the seizure. If convicted of the charges, the men could face a maximum of 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

As part of his bail condition, the younger Hagelin must remain 10 feet away from any dog other than Apple's Dumplin.

A problem was pointed out Monday by Piscataquis County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy during a hearing on a suppression motion filed by the Hagelins. Almy said the court permitted the family to have only one dog. The other dogs, which were taken from the Hagelins in April, including 21 puppies born later, were given to the state for adoption.

"We'll be right back in this mess again" if the court does not address the problem now, Almy told Judge Robert Muller.

Before Muller imposed the same bail condition for Mark Hagelin on Monday, the defendant claimed the puppies were "grandfathered" from the court restrictions. If they were not, Hagelin said he would be without a home. "I'll kill myself before you make me homeless," he said.

Hagelin's mother, Carol Hagelin, piped up during the proceeding and said that she would sell the puppies before she allowed the state to take control of those animals.

Almy said after the court proceedings that he had known about the puppies for a few weeks but decided to wait until the pups were weaned before taking further action. He said he could not justify the seizure of the pups but could have the younger Hagelin arrested if he violated his bail conditions.

In addition to the bail conditions, Muller heard testimony on a motion to suppress information provided in a search warrant that led to the seizure of the Hagelins' dogs.

Mark Hagelin, who on Monday fired his court-appointed attorney William Logan of Newport because of what Hagelin called "incompetence," acted on his own behalf during the proceedings. Muller asked Logan to remain in the courtroom on Monday in case Hagelin reconsidered his decision.

Hagelin and his father, who was represented by attorney Randy Day of Garland, contended that the search conducted by the authorities that led to the seizure of their dogs was illegal.

Mark Hagelin raised a number of issues about the search in defense of his motion, including claims that: the state had him listed on the search warrant as an owner of the Gray Hill Road property when he was not; that he was not present when the search was executed; that he was restrained by the police outside of the home; and that he was illegally detained.

During the hearing, the younger Hagelin shouted at the judge, pointed his finger at Muller and repeatedly made objections to testimony.

"You're ignorant of the law," Hagelin shouted at the judge at one point, also calling him "corrupt."

The defendant told Muller that he had requested a jury trial on the charge of cruelty to animals but claimed that Logan failed to make the request on his behalf within the 21-day time period.

Muller plans to review an earlier court proceeding before he makes a determination on the jury trial and took the motion to suppress under advisement.

Other charges pending against Mark Hagelin were heard. At his initial court appearance Monday on the charges of refusing to sign a summons and to a violation of conditions of release, pleas of not guilty were entered. These cases were continued until Sept. 26.

The court found Mark Hagelin guilty of operating without a license and fined him $150, suspending $50. Hagelin pleaded no contest to a charge of allowing a dog to roam at large and was fined $50.

Source: Bangor Daily News - August 23, 2005
Update posted on Aug 24, 2005 - 8:03AM

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Motions are expected to be heard Monday in 13th District Court when a local father and son each appear on a charge of cruelty to animals.

Mark Hagelin, 45, and Burton Hagelin Sr., 73, have each filed a motion to suppress a search warrant that was executed by state and local officials in April and which led to the seizure of the Hagelin family's 92 English springer spaniels. Both claim the ex-parte order for the search warrant should not have been granted.

The younger Hagelin has filed a motion to quash claiming that before the state seized the dogs they failed to notify all of the family members who had an interest in the animals. He also asserted that the state cannot give rights to companion animals.

While there is no written recusal from Judge Kevin Stitham, who presided over the hearing for the possession of the dogs, Clerk of Court Lisa Richardson said Judge Robert Mullen will hear the motions.

Mark Hagelin is being represented by attorney William Logan of Newport. Randy Day of Garland is representing the elder Hagelin. Both are court-appointed.

The Hagelins were charged after authorities received a tip that the dogs were not being properly fed and watered. Filthy living conditions were found during a search of the family home and adjacent kennel, according to state officials who seized the animals.

The dogs and their offspring were boarded in various animal welfare shelters at a cost of about $40,000 until Judge Kevin Stitham forfeited the animals and their offspring in June to the state's Animal Welfare Program.

Stitham's action prompted Mark Hagelin to file an appeal, but since Hagelin was unable to post a bond for the care of the animals during the appeal process, the appeal was denied. The state then placed the dogs up for adoption.

Hagelin also has two lawsuits pending in U.S. District Court in Bangor, which allege that his rights and those of his parents were violated when the state imposed a quarantine on their kennel in November 2003 and by subsequent actions, including the taking of the dogs.

Source: Bangor Daily News - Aug 20, 2005
Update posted on Aug 20, 2005 - 2:58PM

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The state Animal Welfare Program received permission Monday afternoon to release 113 English springer spaniels seized from a Dover-Foxcroft kennel to allow for their adoption.

Piscataquis County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy notified Christine Fraser, the program's veterinarian, who in turn advised the six humane agencies holding the dogs and puppies.

"Hopefully, they'll get new homes quickly because they deserve it," Almy said Tuesday.

The release of the animals came after Mark Hagelin, 45, failed to post a bond for the care of the animals during the appeal process.

Hagelin filed an appeal regarding Judge Kevin Stitham's decision in June to forfeit the dogs to the state. But as part of that appeal process, Hagelin had to show that he had sufficient security to pay for the care of the animals during the appeal, and he did not do so, Almy said.

"The state came in and stole those dogs, and those people have received stolen property and I'll hold them accountable ...," Hagelin said Tuesday about the adoptions during a phone interview. "I'm not playing nice anymore."

Hagelin said he intended to add the names of those who adopted the dogs and the agencies involved to lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in Bangor.

Told that the dogs were undergoing neutering and spaying, Hagelin said, "Then there's going to be hell to pay." He claimed that the dogs were selected from around the country and were "part of a breeding program" destroyed by the state.

"If they fixed all those dogs, there will be payback," he said, adding that he would seek increased punitive damages from the state.

Burton Hagelin Sr. said both he and his son, each of whom faces criminal charges of cruelty to animals, were despondent over the loss of their dogs.

"It's absolutely wrong," Hagelin Sr., who is hospitalized at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, said Tuesday. "I will sue them if they release one dog."

Hagelin Sr. said he was especially saddened to lose Sadie, his special pet, one of the dogs that were seized.

"She slept at the foot of my bed for nine years," he said. "If I don't get Sadie back, hell will be to pay."

Hagelin Sr. said that Joseph Baldacci of Bangor has withdrawn as his attorney on the criminal case and that he will seek a court-appointed attorney. Mark Hagelin is representing himself.

Both father and son are expected to appear in court in August on the criminal charges.

Almy said Tuesday he did not need to keep the dogs as evidence in the criminal case because the search, the animals and their living conditions were recorded on video.

Since the seizure, the dogs have been in the state's possession and have been boarded at various facilities at a cost now totaling about $40,000.

"We are tremendously relieved to get these dogs into homes," Fraser said Tuesday.

The animals, including 21 puppies born later, will be released by the humane facilities based on their individual adoption policies. Unless an emergency situation warranted, no invasive procedures were done to the dogs pending the appeal process, she said. Now that the animals can be adopted, some agencies will spay or neuter the dogs before their release, she said.

Also relieved is David Hagelin, Mark Hagelin's brother from Woodbridge, Va. He called the Bangor Daily News and said that not everyone in his family agreed with Mark Hagelin's situation and his desperate attempt to keep the dogs.

David Hagelin, who said his parents were victims of Mark Hagelin, praised Dover-Foxcroft police for initiating the search warrant, Almy for his prosecution and Judge Stitham for his perseverance in dealing with a person who has just enough legal knowledge "to tie the system up."

"He's [Mark] basically just a professional nuisance," the brother said.

"It was getting to be a dangerous situation as far as the welfare of my parents and the people in the town of Dover-Foxcroft," David Hagelin said. "The court had to step in sometime to save these people from themselves."

Lt. Scott Arno of the Dover-Foxcroft Police Department agreed with David Hagelin's assessment of his family's situation.

"I just hope that things continue to improve personally for the Hagelins and their well-being," he said Tuesday. Arno also said he was pleased that the dogs would find new homes.

Fraser said the dogs were being boarded at Kennebec Valley Humane Society in Augusta, Bangor Humane Society, Coastal Humane Society in Brunswick, Waterville Humane Society, Westbrook Animal Refuge League and Camden-Rockport Humane Society.

Jeffrey Mitchell, executive director of the Bangor Humane Society, said that the shelter had received 120 applications to adopt the 36 pups they were caring for.

"We've gotten 120 applications, though only 45 of them have been pre-qualified for adoption," Mitchell said Tuesday. "These dogs have very specific needs."

"They're going to be a handful," Mitchell continued. "They're basically pack animals. They follow a leader, so that person now will be the person that adopts them. They're going to need obedience training to stop them from grabbing food. The people that are applying need to have experience with spaniels and need to know how to handle a situation like this."

Mitchell said that now that the shelter had received the OK to start putting the dogs up for adoption, it was going to start the neutering and vaccinating procedure. BHS veterinarian Dr. Gary Winters had spayed and neutered 16 of the dogs Tuesday morning and was expected to finish with the rest of them by this afternoon.

The director added that even though these dogs are purebred English springer spaniels and on the regular market would cost considerably more than mixed-breed dogs, they would be treated no differently from any other dog that comes into the shelter.

"They'll go through the same procedure of spaying and neutering and vaccinations," he said.

Mitchell said he hoped the dogs would be ready to go by Thursday. Those interested in applying to adopt one of the spaniel pups can call BHS at 942-8902.

More than 55 people have placed their names on a list for the five dogs and litter of puppies that are being boarded at the Kennebec Valley Humane Society in Augusta, according to Roxanne Brann, executive director. Those dogs are expected to be released later this week.

Source: Bangor News - July 20, 2005
Update posted on Jul 25, 2005 - 4:23AM

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Mark Hagelin, the Dover-Foxcroft man accused of animal cruelty for mistreating his dogs, officially lost custody of the springer spaniels today.

Ninety-two dogs were seized from Hagelin's home back in May. There are now more than a hundred springer spaniels being cared for by animal welfare officials. The judge ruled that they will stay in state custody. The state says the dogs were treated inhumanely and malnourished.

The state wants to put the dogs up for adoption, so they can be in loving homes. Besides the Bangor Humane Society, the dogs are at shelters in Augusta, Waterville, Brunswick, Westbrook and Kennebunk.

Hagelin and his father still face criminal charges. Their animal cruelty trial is scheduled to take place in August.

Source: WLBZ - June 23, 2005
Update posted on Jun 23, 2005 - 1:37PM

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Mark Hagelin, 45, was in court Thursday to argue against a move by the state's Animal Welfare Program to take possession of the 92 English springer spaniels so the animals can be placed for adoption.

State officials are moving forward on the case because of the mounting boarding and medical fees, which now exceed $22,000. In addition, the facilities that are boarding the dogs are so full they can not take in any more animals from other cases, according to state officials.

Hagelin, who along with his father has been charged with cruelty to animals, became angry at his attorney, Joseph Baldacci of Bangor, for not objecting enough to testimony and threatened to fire him. His attorney Baldacci requested and was granted a withdrawal from the case.

Baldacci, who was hired by Mark Hagelin's father, Burton Hagelin Sr., will continue to represent the elder man who, like his son, has been charged with cruelty to animals. Those cases will be heard June 20.

During the hearing, the father told Judge Stitham that he would not pay for another attorney to represent his son, so Mark Hagelin served as his own attorney during the remainder of the day's hearing and will continue to do so next week.

Stitham continued the matter to 8 a.m. Monday at District Court.

During Thursday's hearing, veterinarian Christine Fraser of Maine Animal Welfare, the day's only witness, described the living conditions in the Hagelin home, which was backed up by a video that police and state officials made when the dogs were seized.

As the witness spoke during the morning session, before Baldacci withdrew, Hagelin scribbled repeatedly on a legal pad, passed a note to his attorney and tapped a finger on the table.

The video, shown during the morning, at times was highly graphic in its depiction of the conditions at the home. A woman sitting at in the rear of the courtroom was reduced to tears by what she saw.

Taking the witness stand, Fraser said the floors of the house were covered in thick "gooey feces" that nearly suctioned off the foot covers she wore when she walked in it.

One area in the kitchen had a pool of urine that was dripping down into the cellar, she said. The dogs would take a "lick or two" at this pool and walk away, she said. There was no other liquid for the dogs to drink, she testified. She said she did observe a few bowls of dry dog food in the house.

When animal welfare agents put out water for the dogs at the home, "they just herded right to that area. They eagerly drank," Fraser said.

Fraser said the majority of the dogs were in poor condition suffering from ear mites, muscle wasting, distended abdomens, conjunctivitis and other ailments. They had to be treated for hook, whip and round worms, she said.

Source: bangornews.com - June 10, 2005
Update posted on Jun 10, 2005 - 7:59PM

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A local father and son made their initial court appearances Monday in 13th District Court on charges of cruelty to animals that stemmed from the condition of some of the 92 English springer spaniels seized from their home and kennel last month by state, county and local authorities.

Appearing before Judge Kevin Stitham, Burton Hagelin Sr., 73, pleaded not guilty to the charge, His son, Mark Hagelin, 45. also pleaded not guilty to the same charges and also to the to violation of conditions of release and to dogs running at large.

The cases against both men were continued to June 20, 2005.

Bail was set for the elder Hagelin at a $500 unsecured bond. Bail for Mark Hagelin was set at a $1,000 unsecured bond. Neither man can possess any dogs with the exception of Apple's Dumplin, an English springer spaniel owned by Carol Hagelin, the wife of Burton Hagelin Sr. and the mother of Mark Hagelin and lives with them.

A cruelty to animals charge carries a maximum of one year in jail, a $2,000 fine and other sanctions, Almy said outside the courtroom.

A hearing also was held May 9, 2005 for the forfeiture of the dogs to the state.

A search warrant was executed and the dogs were seized from Foxcroft Kennels in mid-April after a relative of the Hagelins told police the dogs had no food. Police, who videotaped the search, said the dogs were living in filth and their own feces and had little water both inside the Hagelin home and outside in a kennel. Investigators also found two dead dogs, one that was being carried around in the mouth of another dog.

Because the courts are under order by the state to close at 4 p.m., the hearing was adjourned. It will be continued June 9 if Baldacci is available; if not, it will be held June 20.

Source: Bangor Daily news - may 10, 2005
Update posted on May 10, 2005 - 8:13AM

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Mark Hagelin from Dover-Foxcroft who had dozens of dogs seized from his home has been formally charged with animal cruelty.

Previously, Mark Hagelin had only been charged with interfering with an investigation. Last month officials seized more than 90 Springer Spaniels from Hagelin's home.

They're sitting in two shelters, awaiting a state hearing on whether Hagelin can retain custody of the dogs.

Also, a judge has dismissed a federal lawsuit filed by Hagelin and his father. That suit claimed the state and other officials violated his civil rights.

Source: WLBZ2 - May 4, 2005
Update posted on May 5, 2005 - 7:43AM

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Piscataquis County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy said Wednesday that he still is reviewing evidence from the search and seizure of the dogs to decide who will be charged and with what they will be charged.

Source: bangornews.com - April 28, 2005
Update posted on Apr 30, 2005 - 7:37PM

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References

	Maine Today - April 19, 2005
	Bangor News - April 21, 2005
	Bangor News - June 9, 2005
	Bangor News - June 23, 2005
	Boston.Com - Oct 7, 2006

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Puppy mill - 92 English springer spaniels seizedDover Foxcroft, ME (US)

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Puppy mill - 92 English springer spaniels seized
Dover Foxcroft, ME (US)