30+ Starving beagles found on farm Mazomanie, WI (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, Nov 30, 1993 County: Dane Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abusers/Suspects: » F. Donald Ralph » Delores Ralph

Case ID: 9056 Classification: Hoarding, Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (non pit-bull), horse View more cases in WI (US) Login to Watch this Case

There were more than thirty starving and diseased beagles found in mid-December on the farm of an elderly couple. F. Donald and Delores Ralph had been beagle breeders for almost 60 years. Their failing health in recent years had left them unable to properly care for the dogs.

The attorney for the Ralphs, Paul Winch, said "They now wish they had retired from the business a few years ago. They still love their dogs, and Mrs Ralph treats the dogs returned to them just like newborn babies."

There were reports made to the Dane County Humane Society that the Ralphs had dogs caged in excrement filled kennels. Some of the kennels were barely tall enough for the dogs to stand up.

Several of the 33 dogs that were confiscated had severe hair loss or eye cataracts, open sores or foot diseases.

The society also said there were three ponies on the property that were not fed properly and were not sheltered from the freezing weather.

The couple was ordered to pay the humane society $5,402, which was the cost of caring for the confiscated dogs. They were also required to each pay a $250 contribution to the humane society. Also, they were each fined $1,060 for failure to provide food and shelter to animals which is a county ordinance violation.

The couple had to remove all kennels from their property by June and were prohibited from possessing more than the three dogs they now keep as pets.

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

References

Milwaukee Sentinel - Mar 29, 1994

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.