The owner of a Waimanalo puppy mill has been charged with 153 counts of animal cruelty, Honolulu prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro announced Friday. The charges carry a possible 153-year sentence.
The complaint, filed Thursday in Kaneohe District Court, accuses Bradley International, the company that owns and runs the puppy mill, of 153 counts of animal cruelty, or one count for each of the dogs rescued.
The company’s agent could serve a maximum of one year in prison, as well as pay a $2,000 fine — for each count.
The charges come after the Hawaiian Humane Society rescued 153 mistreated dogs in February. The dogs had been living in squalid conditions covered with matted fur and mange. Three puppies died despite the rescue.
Pamela Burns, Hawaiian Humane Society CEO, called the lawsuit the largest case of its kind in Hawaii. Following the rescue, the organization supplied the prosecutor’s office with evidence of animal cruelty and dog abuse.
On Thursday, Kaneshiro stated that Bradley International intentionally, knowingly or recklessly deprived the 153 dogs of necessary sustenance or denied them of proper health and well-being.
The company’s representatives are due in court on June 9.
“The Prosecutor’s Office has made animal cruelty one of its priorities…because people who are cruel to animals are also cruel to other people,” he said.
When asked for details about the prosecution’s strategy, Kaneshiro was circumspect. But he said he believes the company will face at least some kind of punishment that the Humane Society hopes for.
“Filing charges indicates that there is a cause,” he said.
The Humane Society and Honolulu Police Department had suspected for three years that the property was home to a puppy mill. They were already working together on an investigation, but couldn’t access the property.
In late February, Honolulu police received a stroke of good luck: a barking-dog complaint against the property. The Humane Society rescued the dogs on the same day.
“We were very fortunate that the incident occurred,” Burns said about the noise complaint.
Now, she says, the dogs — along with the more than 70 puppies born after the seizure to rescued dogs — are “thriving.”
“They’re in a very different place now,” she said. Most of the dogs are in foster care, although some are still at the Humane Society while others remain under veterinary care.
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