Vermont State Police said they discovered 13 German shepherds living in unhygienic conditions and evidence that they had been abused at a home in Reading.
An investigation into Justin Wagner, 35, and Destiny Jennings, 27, began Aug. 18 with a complaint that 15 German shepherds were running loose at a North Puckerbrush Road residence, said Adam Silverman, a spokesperson for Vermont State Police.
State troopers executing a search warrant on Saturday uncovered eight adult female German shepherds, one adult male and four puppies during the search, Silverman said.
They also found evidence that the dogs were being mistreated inside the property’s house and barn, including “the presence of blood stains and feces, and a dog confined in the barn with limited access to food and water,” he said.
The dogs were taken from the residence and are in the care of local humane societies and foster families while the criminal case is pending, Silverman said.
Wagner and Jennings are charged with animal cruelty and scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 21 at the criminal division of the Vermont Superior Court in White River Junction.
They could not be reached for comment. Phone and Facebook messages sent to Green Mountain Shepherds, a business apparently associated with the couple, were not returned on Wednesday.
According to the Cape Cod Times, Wagner was charged with animal cruelty in Massachusetts in 2015 after leaving a puppy in a hot car for 10 hours while he drank in a bar.
In February 2016, while on probation, Wagner was reportedly charged with illegally importing dogs into Rhode Island “without valid importation certificates or certificates of veterinary inspection,” and operating a pet shop without a license, according to the Herald News of Fall River, Massachusetts. The lab puppies he was selling under the name “Loyal Labs” were reportedly found dehydrated and infested with tape and roundworms.
