WASHINGTON -- Two rural Aberdeen residents have been charged with misdemeanors for not properly caring for their dogs. Leonard C. Sollie, 58, and Karla J. Sollie, 59, each face six counts of inhumane treatment of animals. Each count is punishable by as much as a year in county jail and a $2,000 fine.
In June, the Aberdeen Area Humane Society informed law enforcers of possible animal abuse. They responded to the Sollie home west of Aberdeen. The dogs were surrendered willingly by the Sollies.
Lori Ehlers, a deputy state's attorney for Brown County, said 29 dogs were ultimately taken from the Sollies. Eight of the dogs were feral/wild, Ehlers said.
Kayla Beard of the Aberdeen Area Humane Society said the dogs were malnourished and covered with ticks and fleas when they were taken into custody. She said the dogs also had dirty kennels. Beard said most of the dogs were sent to Humane Society sites in Sioux Falls or Huron.
One, a Great Dane, was kept in Aberdeen and was recently adopted, Beard said. She said one of the dogs was so sick it had to be euthanized.
The scheduled magistrate court date for the Sollies is Oct. 10, Ehlers said.
(Aberdeen News - Oct 4, 2007)
