(Photo's courtesy of WSOC TV News 9 - aerial photo's of Perez's property)

Union County animal control, law enforcement and animal activists seized 252 dogs on April 22 from Naomi Deloris Perez, age 77, the owner of an alleged puppy mill that had conditions a sheriff's detective described as horrific. Authorities said the owner was breeding the dogs and selling their puppies for about $400 each. The seizure came after a months-long effort by the county's Humane Society, begun when it received a complaint about a sick puppy. Society members later went to the home posing as dog buyers and took photographs and videos of the site's conditions, Susan Marsh, the county's animal control supervisor said.

Susan Marsh, the county's animal control supervisor, said she had seen similar operations, sometimes known as "puppy mills," but none quite as big.   The idea, Marsh said, is to "breed them as fast as you can, as much as you can and sell them for as much as you can."

        (Photo's courtesy of WSOC TV News 9 ) The Sheriff's Office issued a criminal summons charging Perez, 77, of 3516 Pageland Highway, with animal cruelty, investigators said. If convicted of the misdemeanor, she could be fined, or sentenced to community service, probation or jail time, Detective John Ingani said.

Meanwhile, the Maltese, Pomeranian, Chihuahuas, Yorkshire terriers, Shih Tzus and mixed breed small dogs are being held at the Animal Shelter, getting veterinary treatment and awaiting temporary placement in foster homes while the case is being resolved. The dogs, ranging in age from one week to 12 years, can't get permanent placements because investigators consider them evidence.

The shelter staff approached the Sheriff's Office with the images. Sheriff Eddie Cathey, 5 officers, shelter staff and Humane Society members entered the approximately 35-acre property with a search warrant and found dogs "packed like eggs in cases," said Ingani.

Dogs were in several trailers and running free in the main house, he said. The team spent the next six hours catching, tagging, photographing and packing up the dogs.  Ingani described the conditions as "wretched, putrid and horrific."

Allegedly, three to four inches of feces coated the floor of the main house, a broken refrigerator sat open containing rotten food, and the smell was overpowering, said Lisa Duray, vice president of the local Humane Society.

(Photo's courtesy of WSOC TV News 9 )

Perez's first court date is May 6, but the entire proceedings could take as long as two years, shelter officials said. Perez faced a similar charge in 1993. Union County's District court found her guilty of animal cruelty but the case was dismissed in Superior Court on appeal almost a year later.

The dogs looked ragged. Some had hair matted into dreadlocks, infested with ticks, fleas or lice. Some dogs also have health problems ranging from premature cataracts to malformed legs from the close quarters and bad breeding, Marsh said. Marsh said the dogs weren't malnourished.

About five dogs needed to be euthanized. Staff members are placing the remaining dogs in designated foster homes with veterinarians, groomers and animal rescue volunteers who swarmed the shelter throughout Wednesday, offering their help and living quarters.

Humane society members also tried to return to the home Wednesday to pick up at least three remaining dogs, some cats, a litter of kittens and a parrot, but didn't have another warrant.

The Union County Humane Society is accepting cash to help pay for care. Send checks to:

Humane Society of Union County
P.O. Box 101
Monroe, NC 28105

Update 7/3/03:
  (Photo's courtesy of WSOC TV News 9 ) Perez was found guilty of animal cruelty and banned from having any animals ever again.

The trial lasted three days.  Perez was accused of keeping more than 250 dogs, two kittens and a parrot in squalid conditions in her Union County home.

After hearing testimony from 15 witnesses, and deliberating for two hours, District Judge Chris Bragg issued the verdicts against her. Bragg had combined criminal and civil cases to conserve court resources.

Although Perez received no jail time, she received the maximum penalty allowed and faces at least $47,000 in fines and restitution. However, her attorney, Don Brown of Charlotte, already said he plans to appeal both the criminal and civil rulings. From the start of the case, he had argued the animal cruelty statute and the joining of her civil and criminal cases were unconstitutional.   Any appeals could delay permanent homes for the dogs.

Update 8/2/03:  The two cats, one parrot and more than 250 dogs seized from Perez in April may be moved from temporary foster care into permanent homes as soon as next week.

The animals have been held as evidence, awaiting the last step of the civil portion of Perez's animal cruelty trial.

Update 1/27/04:  In the criminal case, Judge Bragg gave Perez five years of supervised probation, and subjected her to random warrant-less searches by Animal Control or probation officers to see if she has animals.

In the civil case, brought by the Humane Society of Union County, Judge Bragg ruled she could not own, possess or sell animals ever again.

The court still had to resolve the final amount Perez has to reimburse the Humane Society and its attorney Rodney Alexander.

District Judge Chris Bragg increased case costs from the original $47,000 to $101,222 the amount Perez must pay in fines and restitution. Broken down, that's $50,000 for legal fees, $38,952 for veterinary costs, $10,000 as a criminal fine and $2,270 for other costs such as videotaping a witness's testimony.

What remains unclear, however, is whether Perez could leave North Carolina and continue her business elsewhere. She had moved to Union County almost 20 years ago after running a similar business in California, testimony showed.

Prosecutors and Alexander argued she had said the same thing before, back in 1993 when she faced similar animal cruelty charges. Those charges eventually were dismissed on appeal.

Offering no witnesses, the defense rested its case quickly but had cross-examined each of the plaintiff's witnesses seeking inconsistencies, embellishments and bias.

Update 11/07/05:  Perez was convicted of animal cruelty and ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars to the humane society.  Perez has refused to pay.  Perez owes the Humane Society $39,000.

Judge Christopher Bragg has already held Perez in contempt of court for failing to pay the money.

Perez left North Carolina and her debts behind and moved to Sun City, CA.  She bought a house in the shadow of the desert hills.  Perez lives in a modest house with gravel in the front yard and animal carrier visible through a window.  A small dog could be seen through the front window -- even though Judge Bragg's order specifically prohibits Perez from ever owning any animals again.

Perez stated that because many people donated money to the Humane Society after seeing the dogs seized, she has no intention of paying the humane society back.

The Humane Society said Perez has long been taking intentional steps to avoid paying what she owes.  After her conviction, she transferred the title for 34 acres she owns in Union County from her name into a family trust that the Judge's ruling can't touch.

The humane society is now suing and asking a judge to put Perez's 35-acre Union County property back in her own name, which could allow the humane society to foreclose and recover its money.

Reference:

The Charlotte Observer

WSOC TV News 9

American Humane Association