But investigators said they found “deplorable conditions” during a July 10, 2015, search at the Sweet Paws Spa & Inn and the Sweet Tails Animal Rescue.
On Tuesday, public defender Justin Littlefield pointed out to Carroll County District Court Judge James R. Patten — who is presiding over the two-day bench trial — that the animals had walls and a roof to protect them from the elements.
He said Miller had food on hand for the animals, and the county did not have proof that the animals had been unfed for an extended period.
Geoffrey Gallagher, an assistant Carroll County Attorney, said Miller did a poor job of taking care of the dogs and cats at Sweet Paws, Sweet Tails and in her on-site residence at 1800 Route 16. He said the animals not only had to be dry and fed, but cleaned.
The county’s first witness, Georgina Randall, was a former volunteer at the facility, who, after seeing that “a lot of the dogs were covered in feces and urine,” emailed Ossipee police Sgt. Bob King to express her concern.
Upon cross-examination, Randall said she was aware that few other volunteers were working with Miller, who was becoming overwhelmed, and that Miller had problems with the septic and plumbing in the kennel and shelter.
Littlefield — displaying a photo taken by King — got King to concede that it showed bagged and stored food, and that King could not say when the dogs were last fed.
Joyeeta De, a veterinarian who examined two dozen dogs and 11 cats taken from Miller, testified that some of the dogs were “on the thin side of normal.”
Of the cats, two were underweight and one of them was emaciated, said De, who also told the court that she saw feces in the coats of the cats and dogs.
Jason Sanderson, a defense witness, was introduced by Littlefield with the title of “Archbishop.”
He said he has known Miller since 2007 and had often boarded his own dogs with her, as well as adopting dogs, most recently in May 2015.
Sanderson, listed as the leader of Liberal Catholic Church International on the group’s website, wore a dark jacket and clerical collar.
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| Some of the rescued dogs at the shelter |
Asked about his last visit to Miller’s property, Sanderson told Gallagher that he found the conditions of the kennels “perfectly adequate.”
“I wouldn’t have done brain surgery there,” Sanderson said, noting it was, after all, a kennel.
(Union Leader - April 19, 2016)
Earlier:
- New Hampshire: 59 dogs, 7 cats seized from pet spa; owner Laurinda Miller to face charges
- New Hampshire: Laurinda Miller, owner of Ossipee animal shelter charged with 21 counts of animal cruelty
- New Hampshire: Laurinda Miller, 51, owner of animal spa and rescue pleads not guilty to 21 counts of cruelty
- New Hampshire: Charged with animal cruelty, Ossipee woman Laurinda Miller contests evidence
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