Couple pleads guilty in animal cruelty case
Jason and Serenna Larsen pleaded guilty to six felony counts of first-degree animal cruelty in court on Friday. If convicted, each can be sentenced to up to 12 months in prison.
The Larsens had been hired to live and work at a Gold Bar kennel and take care of the dogs, according to the search warrant. The kennel belongs to Mary Ann Holleman, whose parents, Marjorie and Richard Sundberg, were charged in a separate animal cruelty case in Skagit County.
Investigators, stating they were astounded by the filth found at Holleman's kennel, seized 155 dogs. Seven were in such poor condition that they had to be euthanized.
At the time of the raid, adult dogs and puppies were found living in crates and small pens filled with large accumulations of feces and heavily soiled shavings. Officers said the odor from the feces and urine was so overpowering it could be detected well outside the residence. A large commercial dumpster stood in the yard overflowing with dog waste.
Eighty-seven of the dogs were living in a converted attic. Several dead puppies also were found in a freezer, and two dead dogs were found elsewhere on the premises. Most of the dogs were heavily matted, covered with their own feces and saturated with urine.
Investigators said many dogs had open sores on various parts of their bodies and all were covered with fleas. Several dogs had tumors and other abnormal body conditions. Medications and used syringes, used to treat sick animals, were found scattered in front of pens and in a refrigerator.
"Even the most experienced officers on site were astounded by the size of this puppy mill operation and the filthy conditions in which the dogs were kept," said Vicki Lubrin of Snohomish County Animal Control Services in a statement.
Investigators also found a high-frequency device that had been installed to keep the dogs from barking.
In interviews with investigators, the Larsens said they been breeding dogs since 2007 and admitted that they "were in way over our head," according to court documents. The Larsens told detectives they had started by breeding 28 dogs.
The couple made no statements in court on Friday. During a previous court appearance, Jason Larsen insisted he and his wife were just a small part of a multi-million dollar operation. The Larsens are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 25.
Kennel owner, parents, sister also under probe
In addition to Holleman's kennel, investigators also raided the homes of Holleman and her sister, Renee Roske, in January. At that time, Roske said some of her dogs were at her parents' kennel in Skagit County.
Roske's claim led detectives to Marjorie and Richard Sundberg's Mount Vernon kennel where they seized nearly 450 dogs.
Detectives said the dogs were kept in tight cages contaminated with feces and urine that sat alongside bodies of dead dogs in unheated spaces. Many dogs had been left without any food or water. Veterinarians later determined some of dogs were suffering from coccidia, an intestinal disease, and many others were pregnant.
The Sundbergs were each charged with four counts of animal cruelty in the first degree, four counts of animal cruelty in the second degree and one count of transporting or confining in an unsafe manner. They have pleaded not guilty on all counts.
Neither Roske nor Holleman have been charged; however, the investigation is ongoing. Detectives are seeking customers who may have purchased a dog from Roske or Wags N Wiggles Pet Shop, which she runs out of her Snohomish Home. They're asking anyone who thinks they may have gotten a dog from Roske to e-mail them.