The Augusta County Sheriff's Office says authorities are investigating a case of animal abuse possibly involving dozens of dogs.

Animal control officers went to Oak Leaf Kennel at 468 China Clay Road in Stuarts Draft to seize dogs. The property that the kennel is on belongs to Kim and Kyle Brydge.

The SPCA also had representatives at the property. SPCA representatives say the mostly small breed dogs were found inadequate living conditions without basic necessities like food and water. Many were also cramped in cages living in their own feces. One man leaving the scene described it as a "huge mess."

SPCA representatives say the dogs were released to authorities voluntarily.

Neighbors abutting the wooded property say they can hear dogs barking all day and have for years, often from hundreds of yards away.  "You always hear so many over there. There's no way anyone can take care of that many animals, that many dogs. But it's shocking out here because most people love their animals, take care of their animals," said neighbor Betty Siron.

A Stuarts Draft man who has been on the property before described the facility as dirty and overcrowded. He says close to 50 dogs were kept in the same pen with no grass that was roughly the size of a basketball court.

Update 8/25/09:  A search warrant affidavit made public states 97 dogs were seized from a Stuarts Draft breeding kennel during a “routine inspection.”

On hand at Oak Leaf Kennel were officials with the state veterinarian’s office, Augusta County Sheriff’s Office and members of a regional animal shelter, who worked into the night to remove dogs from the property.

Many dogs have been transported to shelters across the state, leaving about two-dozen in the area, according to Augusta County Assistant Administrator John McGehee.

No charges have been filed.  Read the Seizure Orders

Although the Virginia State veterinarian assisted the investigation, Augusta County animal control officers will determine if charges are to be filled.

Officials have said little about what spurred the seizure. The search targeted animals and records, “to include all living, dead, and unborn.” During a previous consent search, permitted by the kennel’s owner, dogs were found “with adequate water, food and emergency [veterinary] care.”

  (Photo courtesy of the News Leader)  The kennel, registered to Kyle Brydge, sits on a 17-acre property that has a special-use permit from Augusta County, according to county records. Records show the county, at most, has permitted Brydge to keep 106 dogs.

Update 8/26/09:  Authorities have barred a Stuarts Draft dog breeder from owning companion animals for two years.

The move comes a few days after Kyle and Kim Brydge, owners of Oak Leaf Kennel on China Clay Road, relinquished to authorities more than 90 dogs.

The kennel failed to provided adequate care, food, water and shelter for 99 dogs, according to an Augusta County General District Court order signed by Judge Michael Quigley Jr.

The order states Kyle Bridge gave up the dogs voluntarily after a routine inspection by a state veterinarian found inadequate care of the mostly small-breed dogs. Also on hand during the search were Augusta County Animal Control and members of a regional animal shelter, who worked into the night to remove dogs from the property.

No criminal charges have been pressed, but the investigation into Brydge is not considered closed, according to the Office of the Virginia State Veterinarian.

Exactly how many dogs were seized remains unclear in court records. The order barring the Brydge's from keeping dogs states 99 were seized. An animal control search warrant states 97. A signed statement by Kyle Brydge refers to 94 dogs, and includes a list of about 20 small-breed female dogs.

Many have already been transported to shelters across the state, leaving about two-dozen in the area, according to Augusta County authorities.

Oak Leaf Kennel is operated on Brydge’s 17-acre property, which has a special-use permit from Augusta County permitting 106 dogs to be kept there, according to county records.

Update 8/28/09:  A Stuarts Draft dog breeder was charged with 100 assorted misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and failure to provide adequate care, according to Augusta County Animal Control arrest warrants.

Kyle N. Brydge, 45, owner of Oak Leaf Kennel on China Clay Road, was ordered held without bond.

Of 102 total charges, he faces 70 counts of Class 1 misdemeanor cruelty to animals; 30 counts of Class 3 misdemeanor failure by a pet shop owner to provide adequate care; and one count each of failure to maintain proper business records and failure to properly license a dog older than 4 months.

A judge’s order barred Kyle and Kim Brydge from owning companion animals for two years.

Oak Leaf Kennel was operated on Brydge’s 17-acre property, which has a special-use permit from Augusta County permitting 106 dogs to be kept there, according to county records.

Class 1 misdemeanor charges carry a maximum 12-month jail sentence. Other misdemeanors are punishable by fines.

Update 11/6/09:  A Stuarts Draft dog breeder, who pleaded guilty to dozens of animal cruelty charges in September, could face further restrictions from the Augusta County Board of Zoning Appeals.

The BZA tabled a decision for 30 days of whether to revoke several special-use permits for Kyle Brydge, who pleaded guilty to 70 charges of animal cruelty and 30 charges of failing to provide adequate care. He was arrested during an animal cruelty probe involving the 99 dogs he owned on the property.

At the time, Brydge was ordered to pay the Augusta Regional Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals $10,890 in restitution and a judge entered a civil order barring him from owning or possessing companion animals for two years. However, Brydge said a judge later amended that ruling to allow him to keep six of his dogs. His wife and son, both of whom were not charged, were also allowed to keep companion animals on the property.

During the BZA meeting, Brydge argued why the board should not entirely strip his permit that allows him to maintain a maximum of 106 adult dogs on the property. While asserting he should never have been charged for the animal abuse, he said he would like to be allowed to breed up to 29 female dogs on the property, which the highest number that would not subject him to certain state scrutiny. According to the county's code, any property with more than four dogs needs a kennel permit.

Brydge said the state veterinarian, who led the cruelty probe, overreacted and he only pleaded guilty to avoid jail time. Brydge said the dogs were treated humanely, and he said it was "a joke how the state operated" during the probe.  "I was treated unfairly," he said, "and I don't expect to be treated unfairly by my county."

BZA Chairman Steven F. Shreckhise and other board members agreed they needed more information, including reports from Brydge's' veterinarian, court records and accounts from county animal control officers, before they rule on the matter.  "I do feel something needs to be changed, and it's evident (the 106 maximum dogs allowed) number is too high," Shreckhise said. ""We need to take some action, but I don't feel comfortable without more information."

The BZA will take up the issue again during its Dec. 3 meeting.

Update 12/3/09:  Augusta County officials decided to place further restrictions on a Stuarts Draft dog breeder, who pleaded guilty to dozens of animal cruelty charges in September.

The Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously voted to cancel special-use permits that allowed Kyle Brydge and his wife, Kim, to have on a kennel on their property. Brydge was arrested on 70 charges of animal cruelty and 30 charges of failing to provide adequate care following an animal cruelty probe involving the 99 dogs he owned on the property.

At the time, Kyle Brydge was ordered to pay the Augusta Regional Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals $10,890 in restitution and a judge entered a civil order barring him from owning or possessing companion animals for two years. However, a separate ruling later stipulated that Kyle Brydge could keep six of his dogs. In addition, Brydge’s wife and son, both of whom were not charged, were also allowed to keep companion animals on the property.

Because Kyle and Kim Brydge were both listed on the county special-use permit, BZA ruling now restricts the couple from owning more than four dogs. Board members said Kim Brydge still has the option of reapplying for a special-use permit.

Reference:

News Virginian

News Leader