Thirty-four counts of animal cruelty were filed against the Pickaway County man after 52 dogs were removed from his farm on Oct. 1. Many of the dogs had dental disease, feces-smeared coats and paws mangled by wire-mesh cages.
The Ohio Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals thought it had built a solid case against Beachy. It demanded that Circleville Law Director Gary Kenworthy take the misdemeanor case against Beachy to trial on Wednesday.
However, Kenworthy conditionally dismissed the charges against the Laurelville-area man yesterday, due to “evidentiary roadblocks” in securing the records of veterinarians scattered across Ohio who treated Beachy’s dogs.
Beachy, 58, agreed not to raise dogs for sale over the next year unless their care is supervised by a veterinarian. Kenworthy said the Ohio SPCA should consider it a “victory” to have saved Beachy’s dogs and shut down his “puppy mill.”
Teresa Landon, executive director of the Ohio SPCA in Grove City, objected to the outcome. “We’re horrified. This was a clear case of cruelty. Ohio law is clear. When you neglect an animal to this extent, it is cruelty.”
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| Hope was one of 52 dogs rescued from Jonas Beachy's alleged puppy mill on Tarlton Adelphi Road last October |
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| Hope underwent leg surgery, had a cyst removed from her eye and had 15 teeth removed following her rescue from Beachy's alleged puppy mill. She has since been adopted. |
Beachy’s attorney, James Kingsley of Circleville, accused the SPCA of mounting a “crusade against Amish breeders.”
He added: “Mr. Beachy is most pleased. Despite Mrs. Landon’s loud bark, (the case) lacked evidentiary bite.”
The conditions of many of Beachy’s dogs were best attributed to neglect, such as a lack of grooming and veterinary care, rather than cruelty, Kenworthy said in a statement.
“Education on the proper standards of care expected of breeders was felt to be the most-essential outcome ... especially given Mr. Beachy’s Amish heritage and the customs apparently common for breeders among the Amish community,” Kenworthy said.
Puppy-mill legislation passed by lawmakers will prohibit Beachy from operating as a “high-volume breeder” unless he meets stricter animal-care requirements, Kenworthy said.
Landon said many dogs had only contaminated water to drink, some lost all of their teeth, and others required multiple surgeries to be restored to health for adoption.
“Mr. Beachy felt he was being persecuted because he is Amish and the fact they live differently, but that had nothing to do with it. Animal-cruelty laws apply to everyone,” she said
(Columbus Dispatch - Aug 6, 2013)
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