Puppy mill - 69 dogs seized from neglect - San Angelo, TX

Friday, Apr 18, 2008

County: Tom Green

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendants/Suspects:
» Arthur Kenney - Alleged
» Brenda Kenney

Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Associate Judge Jay Daniel said Tuesday in San Angelo municipal court he will take under advisement a case involving 69 dogs seized by the city's animal control division on animal cruelty charges and will reconvene court Friday to make a decision.

The dogs, most of them shih tzus, were seized Friday from the 6000 block of Kingsbridge Drive in the Bluffs neighborhood under allegations of cruelty to animals because of cruel confinement. They are at the animal shelter but are not available for adoption.

Defendant Arthur Kenney, who owns the home where the dogs were kept, represented himself in court, and his wife, Brenda Kenney, helped. After the hearing, Brenda Kenney said of the judge's decision to return to the case Friday, "It's good because we created a reasonable doubt."

Prosecutor Jason Jares said he is confident the judge will rule that the dogs should remain in the shelter's custody and later be adopted.

"The living conditions (of the dogs) were absolutely deplorable," Jares said.

The Kenneys denied charges that the dogs were cruelly confined and disputed that the dogs were part of a puppy mill - a mass dog-breeding operation, often known for being run under substandard breeding conditions. While puppy mills are not outlawed in Texas, the animals must be adequately cared for.

Brenda Kenney defined puppy mills as operations that breed dogs every time they are in heat. She said her dogs are bred about every year and a half.

A prosecution witness, Jessica Gutierrez, testified she saw an advertisement in the Thrifty Nickel for shih tzus and called the Kenneys.

She said she looked into a bedroom and saw stacked boxes with puppy noises coming from inside, although she couldn't see the animals.

The dogs she looked at smelled bad and had urine on them, Gutierrez said. Fecal matter was smeared on the tile floor, she said.

Gutierrez said she did not buy a dog from the Kenneys and called animal control about what she saw.

Leslie Turney, animal services manager with the city, testified that animal services personnel were denied access to the dogs the first time they visited the Kenney residence. When animal services did enter the home, photos were taken, and wooden boxes about 3-by-2-feet were found with dogs inside.

The Kenneys called several people from the courtroom gallery who testified to the health of the dogs they bought from the couple. A few of those people said the birthing boxes are used for nursing puppies.

When Brenda Kenney testified, she said the home was in worse condition than normal when animal control visited because she had forgotten to pay the gas bill. That meant her water heater was turned off, and she could not wash the dogs as her family normally does.

Two of her adult sons testified that they help care for the dogs.

Case Updates

A Tom Green County judge has sentenced a San Angelo woman to a year in jail after finding her guilty of animal cruelty for the treatment of 69 dogs and puppies taken from her home last year. The dogs were seized from the home of Brenda Luellen, also known as Brenda Kenney. The San Angelo Standard-Times reported that Luellen was cited this year for health violations and 59 dogs were removed from her home. County Court-at-Law No. 2 Judge Penny Roberts ordered Luellen to pay more than $18,000 in restitution, which covered the care of the animals seized last year. A volunteer with a Georgia-based rescue operation testified the animals had eye infections and fur matted with feces and urine. Luellen said she had cared for dogs that were near death and brought them back. She has 30 days to appeal the judge's decision.

Source: Houston Chronicle - June 19, 2009 Update posted on Jun 20, 2009 - 10:20PM

Two witnesses testified about the condition of dozens of dogs seized from a Bluffs neighborhood home last year as the trial of a San Angelo woman accused of running a puppy mill out of her home opened this morning. The trial is to continue this afternoon after a lunch recess. The morning saw testimony from both sides in the trial, presided over by County Court-at-Law Judge Penny Roberts, who heard testimony from three witnesses. Assistant county attorneys Jill Simpson and Gerald Fohn are prosecuting the case, which alleges animal cruelty against Brenda Luellen, also known as Brenda Kenney, who waived the right to an attorney and is representing herself. Prosecution witness Leslie Turney, city animal services manager, testified to the cruel treatment of the 69 dogs and puppies taken from a home in the 6000 block of Kingsbridge Drive. Simpson's second witness was a volunteer with Shih Tzus & Furbabies Rescue, a Georgia-based organization that rehabilitates dogs then places them for adoption. The third witness, Arthur Kenney, was called by Luellen. He testified he was living in the home at the time the dogs were removed, and that Luellen's two sons were in charge "of feeding and taking care of them." He said Luellen and the young men would bathe and groom the animals.

Source: Go San Angelo - June 19, 2009 Update posted on Jun 19, 2009 - 4:46PM

Tom Green County sheriff's deputies arrested a San Angelo couple on a bond violation in connection with an animal cruelty case, according to jail records. Brenda and Arthur Kenney, who live in the 6000 block of Kingsbridge Drive, click for map, were booked about 1 p.m. Thursday. They are being held in lieu of $2,000 cash-only bonds, records state. The Kenneys were being held on a bond violation stemming from a Feb. 17 arrest on animal cruelty charges. In April 2008, authorities removed 69 dogs from their Bluffs home. On Wednesday, San Angelo animal service employees removed another 59 dogs from the Kenneys' home on alleged health code violations. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with Wednesday's removal of dozens of dogs. Attempts to reach the family have been unsuccessful. The health code violations are punishable by up to $2,000 for each offense. but city officials said they were not sure how their investigation will proceed. Neighbors said they had complained for months about the noise and odors from the dogs. Animal services took the dogs to its shelter, where the animals will stay until a municipal judge decides their fate. The couple is scheduled to appear in Municipal Court at 9 a.m. Monday in connection with the code violations. A pretrial hearing for the couple in the 2008 cruelty to animal case is scheduled at the same time in county court. The Kenneys are expected to enter a plea at the hearing. A County Attorney official said the couple does not have an attorney listed. Cruelty to animals is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a $4,000 fine and up to one year in jail.

Source: Go San Angelo - May 29, 2009 Update posted on May 31, 2009 - 11:17PM

References

• « TX State Animal Cruelty Map
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