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North Carolina Police are still looking for Richard A. Walter who faces 8 counts of animal cruelty. See previous story. Walter was convicted of second degree murder in 1995 and spent 12 years in prison. Walter has several aliases including Beryl Jernigan and Richard Allen Jernigan.
Barbara Dienner of Lititz, PA violated a court order forbidding her from owning more dogs. On March 27, Pennsylvania SPCA raided her home seizing 19 dogs from her farm. Dienner faces numerous charges including unsanitary confinement. Last December 16, Dienner’s farm was raided seizing 62 cocker spaniel mixes. Jerry Buckley of the PSPCA said “unfortunately it does not appear that the previous charges and penalties were a sufficient deterrent for Ms. Dienner.”
Since 2011, Dienner has over 60 citations related to her puppy mill including running a kennel without a license.
Richard A. Walter is wanted by Cumberland County police for 8 counts of animal cruelty. Walter left his home last January and never returned leaving 8 dogs to starve. Six of the dogs died. A cocker spaniel and pit bull mix were the only survivors. Walter had no excuse when police questioned him by phone.
Walter’s description: 51 year-old white male, 6 foot tall, 180-200 pounds, blue eyes, graying brown hair. Call Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office at 910-323-1500.
Staff from the Waterford Humane Society discovered an abandoned cocker spaniel outside their facility Saturday morning. They turned him over to Waterford Animal Control and named him Pilgrim. Officer Robert Yuchniuk said Pilgrim’s hair was so dirty and matted he could barely walk. Under sedation groomers Gina Garreffi and Caitlan Nadolny removed 7.6 lbs of feces matted fur.
“He now looks and feels 1,000 percent better,” Yuchniuk said. “I also want to thank Doctor Cathy Clark for administering a sedative shot to make the painful grooming process bearable for this guy. He did wonderful and is now back at the shelter smelling like shampoo!”
Monday afternoon Sammy died peacefully in his owners arms. “Martin and I and so many many of you will never be the same after knowing Sammy. His soulful eyes, his sweet spirit that shone through his beautiful face. Yet in that little baby was such strength. Sammy Strong!”
Last March Sammy was “found” by Keith Morgan tied in a garbage bag along a Brick Township, NJ road. As it turned out Morgan and his wife Shauna were his owners and later charged with animal cruelty. Even though Sammy was on the brink of death neither served any jail time.