Three women from the same family have been charged with cruelty to animals after more than 40 Great Pyrenees dogs were impounded from a residence in rural Henry County, Ill.
Sandra Sussman, 78, Patricia Sussman, 47, and Christina Sussman, 28, all of 13486 Wolf Road, Geneseo, all face multiple animal abuse charges in Henry County Circuit Court, Cambridge. The women are scheduled to make their first court appearances at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Sandra and Patricia Sussman, who are mother and daughter, each face five charges, including cruelty to animals and obstruction of justice, which is a felony under Illinois law. Christina Sussman, who is the daughter of Patricia Sussman, faces four misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty.
Authorities seized 43 dogs, all of the Great Pyrenees breed, including a litter of four puppies, late Feb 21. Some of the dogs were sent to an animal shelter in Geneseo, while 23 came to the brand-new Rock Island County Animal Care and Control Shelter, Moline. Although the large dogs seemed to be at or near their normal weight, their fur was matted and soiled.
Patricia Sussman said the dogs belong to her. �My world just became the dogs,� she said Friday, adding that she knows it is illegal to keep so many in one home.
The Sussmans are contesting the impoundment and will travel to Springfield for a Feb. 24 hearing with the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Patricia Sussman said she moved to the Geneseo area from Lincolnwood, Ill., in 1995 and chose a home out in the country so she could keep animals. She worked for three years as a volunteer and part-time employee at a Geneseo-based animal shelter until a cat scratched her in 2000 and she contracted rabies, Sussman said. She has since been diagnosed with cancer and has arthritis in her hands, she added.
Sussman denied that the Great Pyrenees were abused and said a plumbing problem in the basement of her home led to feces becoming embedded in some of the dogs� fur. She said the animals have been vaccinated and properly cared for, with her feeding them a total of 150 pounds of dog food every day.
The number of Great Pyrenees in the house grew for various reasons. �Other people would bring them to me and say they couldn�t keep them anymore,� she said. All of them are registered with the American Kennel Club and many have papers to that effect, she added.
�I understand I had too many, but I felt like I was the only out there saving them.� Case UpdatesTrials were postponed in early July for two rural Geneseo women whom authorities allege were keeping about 40 Great Pyrenees dogs in their home.
Patricia Sussman and her mother Sandra Sussman are charged with Class 4 felony obstruction of justice, three counts of Class B misdemeanor violation of animal owner duties and one count each of Class A misdemeanor cruelty to animals.
No new date for the bench trials has been set. | Source: Star-Courier - July 3, 2006
Update posted on Jul 20, 2006 - 5:02PM |
A Henry county Judge found probable cause to proceed against Sandra Sussman, 78, and Patricia Sussman, 47, both of rural Geneseo, Ill. The two women are accused of animal abuse in connection with a case involving dozens of Great Pyrenees dogs.
The two women, along with Christina Sussman, 28, also are facing multiple animal abuse charges involving the care of dozens of Great Pyrenees dogs. The three are scheduled for a pretrial hearing at 9 a.m. March 23, 2006 in Henry County Circuit Court.
On Feb. 14, 2006, authorities seized 43 Great Pyrenees from the Sussman residence at 13486 Wolf Road, rural Geneseo. Sandra and Patricia Sussman, who are mother and daughter, respectively, each face five charges, including obstruction of justice, which is a felony under Illinois law. Christina Sussman, 28, the daughter of Patricia Sussman, faces four misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty. The dogs were sent for rehabilitation at an animal shelter in Geneseo and the Rock Island County Animal Care & Control Center in Moline. The Sussmans signed ownership of the Great Pyrenees over to the State of Illinois on Feb. 21, 2006. | Source: Quad City Times - March 7, 2006
Update posted on Mar 11, 2006 - 5:12PM |
Owners of more than 40 Great Pyrenees dogs impounded last week in rural Geneseo, Ill., have agreed to give up their rights to the animals. Sandra and Patricia Sussman, of 13486 Wolf Road, Geneseo, signed ownership of the dogs to the state of Illinois on February 21, 2006, said Brian Kerr, assistant state�s attorney for Henry County. The Sussmans, including Christina Sussman, also made their first court appearance that day on charges of animal abuse. Patricia and Sandra Sussman will have a preliminary hearing at 1 p.m. March 6, 2006, at the Henry County Courthouse in Cambridge. Christina Sussman will have a pre-trial conference at 9 a.m. March 23, 2006.
The Rock Island County Animal Care and Control Shelter in Moline has 23 of the Great Pyrenees, and will keep them until the paperwork is completed on the ownership change, said Richard Glessner, shelter director. Glessner said some of the dogs may be able to be adopted starting February 26, 2006. For adoption information, contact the shelter at (309) 558-3647. Send contributions to: Rock Island County Animal Care and Control Shelter, 4001 78th Ave., Moline, Ill., 61265. | Source: Quad City Times - February 22, 2006
Update posted on Feb 27, 2006 - 5:52PM |
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