Tippecanoe Superior 5 Judge Sean Persin found 68-year-old Sanders guilty on all counts. Sanders did not call any witnesses.
Each charge carries a possible jail sentence of up to one year and a possible fine of $5,000. Sentencing is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. April 27.
Earlier in the day, Tippecanoe County Animal Control Officer Seth Kirkendall testified that he found dried bird droppings covering everything in Sanders’ barn, where the dogs were caged. This included empty bags of food and water bowls, which were empty or filled with ice.
“The bird droppings are significant,” Persin said. The droppings showed that animal control officers didn’t catch Sanders on a bad day.
“The evidence is sufficient that this wasn’t a one-day thing where there were left in these conditions,” Persin said.
Witnesses said the seven dogs — four juveniles and three adults — in Sanders’ barn were living in cages covered by feces without straw for warm bedding. The temperature was 17 degrees outside, and Sanders’ barn is not heated and the doors were wide open, Kirkendall testified.
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| One of the puppies for sale. Look at how dirty the pup looks... |
After the dogs were removed from Sanders’ care, veterinarian Heather Barker found they had intestinal parasites and all but one or two had lice, which is rare.
“In the 15 years I’ve been a veterinarian,” said Baker, “I’ve only seen lice in three instances, and they were all Sanders’ dogs.”
Two dogs suffered from painful ailments that were treatable or preventable.
“One of the juvenile dogs had a bulging eye that looked ready to rupture,” Baker testified. “I suspect this was a cornea ulcer that didn’t get treated.”
If caught two months earlier when the eye was scratched, it could have been saved with an inexpensive treatment, Baker said. Instead, she had to remove the eye.
Tippecanoe County sheriff’s Deputy Elizabeth Koehler testified Sanders became agitated on Feb. 23, 2015, when officers were there to collect the dogs.
At one point, Sanders picked up the dog with the infected eye under the chin, by the neck. He showed the dog’s eye to the deputy, then threw the dog down. The dog then retreated to the back of his cage, Koehler testified.
One adult dog had hip dysplasia, described by Baker as similar to painful, debilitating arthritis. It required surgery, and based on the muscle atrophy, Baker said, the dog had not used her back leg for about a year.
All but one dog were under weight. The four juvenile dogs were severely emaciated, Baker testified.
And all had behavior issues, Crystal Creek Kennel volunteer Patti Wolff testified.
One dog was so affected by the treatment at Sanders’ kennels that volunteers thought he was deaf because he did not respond to sounds, Wolff said.
“It was a total shutdown on the dog,” she testified.
Turns out, that was his way of coping. He improved after being taken to a rescue in Canada.
“He had normal hearing,” Wolff said.
Additionally, after the dogs were rescued, they hoarded food and many would not take treats from people, Wolff said, calling this abnormal behavior.
The good news is that the rescuers reported Monday that all of the dogs have been adopted by families and are doing well, although they will always have quirks caused from Sanders' mistreatment, Sally Hull of Hull's Border Collie Rescue said.
When it comes time to sentence Sanders later this month, any fines would be heaped upon previous civil judgments totaling $81,696.
The majority are from a 2014 Board of Zoning Appeals case that found Sanders’ barn violated code for housing dogs and ordered his puppy breeding operation to shut down.
He received additional fines and attorney fees in April 2015 after he was found in contempt of that order.
Sanders also was fined after Tippecanoe County commissioners brought a civil suit against Sanders after the seven dogs were confiscated.
After the verdict, Baker said, “I think this sets a precedent for future abuse cases in our county, and as a veterinarian, that’s very important.”
(JConline.com - April 12, 2016)
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