I'm Eric from I Love Every Dog. This case in Calvert County, Maryland, is one of the largest I've seen, and the next court date is Monday, October 19.
After a July 31 investigation of a property in Huntingtown, authorities seized 31 dogs, plus two small birds and a box turtle. Investigators reported animals without clean water, shelter, or veterinary care, and some were severely thin. Five puppies were later diagnosed with ringworm at the Linda Kelley Animal Shelter. At a related property in Port Republic, one shed held 16 dogs, including 13 French bulldogs and three cavapoo puppies, with parasites and untreated conditions. A second shed held six more dogs. One dog was reportedly blind from untreated illness.
Three men from Huntingtown and Port Republic now face hundreds of animal cruelty charges between them, more than 600 counts in all, and two of them have preliminary inquiries on October 19 in Calvert District Court. These are allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
But the animals were real, and so was their suffering.
I'm asking the Calvert County State's Attorney's Office to pursue every count rather than consolidating them into a token plea, to seek forfeiture of all seized animals so they can be adopted into loving homes, and to ask for a ban on owning or breeding dogs if there is a conviction.
Puppy mills and backyard breeding operations thrive when penalties are small. Please sign and share to show Calvert County that people are watching.
Sincerely, Eric, I Love Every Dog
