Woman loses custody of seized animals

March 09, 2009 08:27 pm

— By Derek Spellman
dspellman@joplinglobe.com
NEOSHO, Mo. — A rural Seneca woman who is accused of neglecting scores of animals in her kennel forfeited custody of those animals Monday morning.
Circuit Judge Tim Perigo awarded full custody of 208 dogs and one cat to the Humane Society of Missouri after their former owner, Margaret J. “Jewel” Bond, 66, was unable to post a bond for their care. Bond also lost custody of her pet tiger, Sheena, to the National Tiger Sanctuary in Bloomsdale.
Authorities removed all of the animals from J.B.’s Precious Puppies, also known as Bond’s Kennel, on Feb. 19 on suspicion that the animals were suffering from a lack of water, unsanitary conditions and poor health care.
Bond faces two charges of animal abuse, a Class A misdemeanor, in connection with the alleged neglect of the animals.
‘No money’
To have been eligible to recover her animals, Bond would have needed to post a bond of about $76,810 to provide for their care at the Humane Society of Missouri for a 30-day period.
“Sir, I have no money,” Bond told Perigo when she was asked if she was able to post any bond.
With Perigo’s decision, the Humane Society of Missouri will be allowed to adopt out the animals that have been in its care since the raid by the Newton County Sheriff’s Department. The tiger will remain in the care of National Tiger Sanctuary.
“I loved them puppies and dogs; they were my children,” Bond told the court Monday.
She said the Sheriff’s Department and the Humane Society “have just about destroyed my life.”
Steven Schwartz, director of veterinary services for the state Humane Society, testified that the animals seized by authorities were “severely neglected” and suffered from “a multitude of problems.” He said the animals’ unsanitary surroundings had led to infections in their skin, eyes and ears.
Schwartz said one of the dogs, a Siberian husky, had to be euthanized because medication could not alleviate its unrelenting pain.
One of the husky’s hips was dislocated, and the other was partially dislocated, Schwartz said. The husky also suffered arthritis in its hips, he said.
Bond on Monday claimed that the husky had been injured when authorities removed it last month from the kennel at her home at 12250 Highway 43, north of Seneca.
She acknowledged that the kennel was dirty but maintained that ill health had limited her ability to keep the kennel clean. She had offered the same explanation when Newton County authorities raided the kennel last month and in 2007.
‘Not right’
In a separate hearing Monday morning before Associate Judge Greg Stremel, Bond said she could not afford an attorney to defend her on the two animal-abuse charges. She will apply for a public defender.
“This is not right,” Bond said after both hearings.
Asked if she intended to return to the dog-breeding business, she said: “How can I? I’m broke. They’re out there repossessing my car right now. They’re going to repossess my house.”
Bond was supposed to have ceased operations in late 2007 under an agreement with the state Department of Agriculture, which did not press for charges against her after she voluntarily relinquished ownership of about 150 dogs and surrendered her state license.
The state took action last month against Bond in connection with the alleged problems with food, water and shelter at the kennel, although violations of state and federal animal-welfare regulations had been found years earlier.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture filed a complaint against her in August 2004, alleging that she “willfully” violated a host of provisions of the Animal Welfare Act the previous year. The USDA ultimately obtained, after several years and multiple appeals by Bond, a $10,000 fine against her and a one-year suspension of her federal license.
Bond previously admitted to the Globe that she had continued selling dogs even after losing her required state license. When asked why, she said she didn’t realize she needed one.
Selling animals without a state license is a Class A misdemeanor under Missouri statutes.
Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland on Monday said his department “absolutely” believes Bond was selling dogs without a license. That issue will have to be addressed through the state, he said.
“They are the ones that require her to have a license,” he said.
Matt Rold, an investigator with the state Agriculture Department’s Animal Care Facility Program, said the question of whether state or local authorities should address the issue will be taken up by the department’s lawyer.
Bond is next scheduled to be in court on the two animal-abuse charges at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 17.

Adoption information

For information about adopting the dogs and cat that were removed last month from J.B.’s Precious Puppies, people may visit the Humane Society of Missouri Web site at www.hsmo.org or www.longmeadowrescueranch.org.