Roberta Dueitt and her daughter, Sharon Dueitt, were charged with 20 counts of animal cruelty and were taken to the Foley jail on bail totaling $10,000 each, according to Summerdale police officer Hugh Bohannon.
Police were first sent to Purple Hearted Puppies at Baldwin County Roads 36 and 73 after a neighbor noticed a dead cat and asked officers to check on the welfare of other animals at the site, Bohannon said.
Sonja Presley, a spokeswoman for the Fairhope-based Baldwin County Humane Society, described the scene at Purple Hearted as “grotesque” and said that dozens of other dogs and cats were in various states of malnourishment.
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| Feces covers the floor, surrounding this dog found Jan. 26, 2012, at Purple Hearted Puppies in Summerdale, where at least 20 dogs and two cats were found dead. Roberta Dueitt and her daughter, Sharon Dueitt, were charged with 20 counts of animal cruelty and were taken to the Foley jail on bail totaling $10,000 each, according to Summerdale police. |
Presley said that the society would eventually take control of the animals healthy enough to move. She added that veterinarians on the scene tonight examining all the animals at Purple Hearted, and they had decided to keep them all on-scene at least until Friday morning.
Presley said that Purple Hearted is a “massive operation. It has more kennels than our animal shelter.” She said the site held dogs of all breeds and sizes. She said there were also at least 45 cats on the site.
Bohannon said that Summerdale police were looking for 2 more suspects. Their names were not immediately released.
The operation is located near the far northeast corner of the Summerdale city limits.
Purple Hearted Puppies has a Facebook page which describes itself as a "nonprofit animal rescue foundation." But by 11 p.m. tonight, comments left on the page included severe anger at the Dueitts.
One, all in capital letters, said, "You are disgusting! I hope you rot in jail."
Another girl's entry simply asked "How could you?!" An entry purportedly left by Sharon Dueitt said that Purple Hearted is remaining open but "we are moving it north" to an unspecified location.
(Press-Register - Jan 26, 2012)
