ST. LOUIS – A dog breeder was charged Friday with two misdemeanor counts of animal abuse after authorities rescued more than 200 dogs, a cat and a Bengal tiger from her property.
Margaret J. Bond, 66, of Seneca, faces a fine of up to $1,000 and up to a year in jail for each count. She was not in custody, and no attorney has come forward on her behalf. Bond does not have a listed phone number.
Newton County and state officials, the Humane Society of Missouri and the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield removed the animals during a raid Thursday. It was the group's second raid at a Missouri puppy mill in less than a week.
A probable cause statement said rescuers found the dogs sitting in feces and urine, without food or water. Dog food bags held skeletal remains of dogs and puppies, the affidavit said.
The affidavit said the tiger was caged and malnourished to the point that its ribs were showing. It also said the animal's paws were infected from exposure to animal waste.
The Missouri Department of Agriculture said it suspended Bond's breeder's license after seizing more than 150 dogs in August 2007. Bond had given her word that she wouldn't raise dogs again, agency spokeswoman Misti Preston said.
The dogs and cat rescued Thursday were being treated at the humane society's St. Louis facility, pending the outcome of a March 9 disposition hearing. The tiger was being held at the Springfield zoo. Humane Society President Kathy Warnick and some of the dogs appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" show Friday in a segment that focused on the rescue.
The society rescued more than 100 dogs on Feb. 13 from an unlicensed facility near Pleasant Hope.
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