Stuart Earl West had research that backed up the diet of deer and cattle carcasses he fed the yellow Labrador dogs he bred and sold, defense attorney Keith Belzer CLAIMED during the first day of testimony Monday, Oct. 23, in West's trial.
West faces 125 misdemeanor charges related to his Alma Bottom Pointing Labs facility. The charges allege West intentionally failed to provide food, ventilation and shelter to the animals found on his property in April 2016. He's also charged with multiple counts of animal mistreatment.
Pierce County District Attorney Sean Froelich countered that West's methods weren't just unusual — they were criminal.
"He was concerned about what he saw and smelled," Froelich said "The conditions were awful."
That man, Jim Naylor, along with sheriff's deputies, testified to an overwhelming stench that greeted them when they went to the property, where West had converted a farmhouse into a kennel.
"It was nauseating to us to see dogs kept in that condition," Naylor testified.
The dogs found in the squalor were found afflicted with a host of ailments, the prosecutor said. Froelich tallied off a list of maladies, including Lyme disease, anemia, hookworms, dental disease, ulcers, ear infections, muscle wasting and eye trauma that veterinarians documented.
"All 48 Labradors had medical conditions," Froelich told the jury.
More than a dozen dogs were found dead, Pierce County sheriff's investigator Collin Gilles testified.
He said the odor took authorities' breath away when they entered West's house.
"It was awful," Gilles testified. "I honestly would compare it to early stages of a decomposing body."
But the 69-year-old West claimed he is a dog lover who was breeding highly developed Labradors that were being sought by the federal government for their ability to sniff bombs, jurors heard.
Belzer described to the jury how West developed an interest in dog breeding as a youngster growing up in Rochester, Minn., after watching his grandfather raise dogs. Part of that approach meant feeding dogs raw meat, the attorney said told the jury.
"It's controversial," Belzer admitted. "There are many veterinarians who don't agree with that diet."
He said West believed the diet wasn't just healthier, but one that led to better fertility in the dogs. And while it was true that West's house didn't have running water — hampered by burst pipes, Belzer CLAIMED — it didn't mean the dogs went without. He CLAIMED West provided water to the dogs.
Gilles said West told him the United States military and the government wanted his dogs for "special purposes" due to their unique breeding.
Jurors also heard from an ASPCA veterinarian who testified to the conditions the dogs were found in. Some were found packed three to a crate, she said.
The jury was later taken outside, where they were shown some of the seized crates being held on a sheriff's trailer outside the courthouse.
Testimony was expected to last to at least Wednesday. Belzer said he expects West to testify in his own defense.
Jurors were shown these crates that STUART WEST stuffed
his Labradors into. Some were packed three to a crate.
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