Case Details

Puppy mill - 30 dogs, one cat
Fort Wayne, IN (US)

Date: Oct 6, 2005
Disposition: Convicted

Abuser/Suspect: Patty A. Roberts

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 5667
Classification: Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: dog (non pit-bull), cat
View more cases in IN (US)
Login to Watch this Case

A Fort Wayne woman faces charges of animal cruelty and neglect and kennel violations after 30 dogs and a cat were removed from her home in the 15-hundred block of Ashley Avenue in early October.

Animals Care and Control authorities filed the charges against Patty A. Roberts on Oct 6. She is accused of housing the animals in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.

Officials believe Roberts had acquired the dogs as part of a "buy-sell puppy operation."

Case Updates

Posted on Oct 31, 2005 - 2:51PM
A woman who was harboring 30 dogs and a cat in a 10-by-10-foot space at her Ashley Avenue home in October admitted to violating three city ordinances and has been ordered to pay fines and court costs of $256.

In addition, Patty A. Roberts will be under a court order for the next two years that limits her to having no more than three dogs and a cat . Officers of Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control will be authorized to make random checks at her home to ensure she complies with the order.

An Allen County police officer attempting to serve an order to repossess furniture from Roberts� home discovered the animals earlier this month. The dogs were being kept in cages stacked on top of each other. Urine and feces had accumulated in the space.

An investigation determined three of the dogs and the cat were Roberts� pets, but that the remainder was obtained as part of a buy-and-sell puppy business. The company did business as �Puppys-R-Us,� records showed.

The animals were sold through free advertisements and a Web site. The Web site said the company did �a little bit of (animal) rescue� and tries �to help other people find homes for their pups.�

Roberts turned most of the animals over to Animal Care, and most were put up for adoption by that agency.
Source: Fort Wayne Sentinel - Oct. 27, 2005 
Posted on Oct 11, 2005 - 12:46AM
A second woman mentioned in an investigation by Animal Care and Control will not face any charges. Fort wayne resident, Patty Roberts, was charged with animal cruelty and neglect after 30 dogs were discovered in deplorable conditions inside her home. Some of those dogs were traced back to a Spencerville woman named Mary Jane Ritchey.

Ritchey has many pet dogs, she breeds some, and she also helps find homes for unwanted dogs. Ritchey says Patty Roberts helped out by caring for a few of her animals. Roberts had also adopted some of Ritchey's dogs. Ritchey says, �That all started way back when there weren't any dogs. She just fostered a couple for me so that they could have individual attention. I don't know, I guess it just got away.�

Ritchey says she was unaware Roberts had so many dogs. A member of the Allen County Sheriff's Department did visit Ritchey's home. That officer reported that Ritchey's animals were all healthy and they had good housing conditions.
Source: WANE-TV - Oct 7, 2005 

References

21 Alive - Oct 7, 2005
Journal-Gazette - Oct 7, 2005

« Back to Search Results



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