FERNDALE, Wash. -- A Ferndale man has been convicted of animal cruelty charges after authorities seized 48 dogs from his home.
Kenneth Cassel was found guilty yesterday of three counts of second degree animal cruelty and one count of violating the state dog breeding law.
In early April, the Whatcom Humane Society and Animal Control officers came down on his west 40th Drive home and recovered 48 miniature Australian Shepherd dogs.
The animals were found in small, dirty cages with an array of medical problems including malnourishment, severe dental disease, and they showed behavioral traits associated with “puppy mill” breeding operations.
WHS director Laura Clark says the dogs have since been placed in new homes or transferred to animal adoption agencies.
Cassel will be sentenced next week.
He faces up to a year in jail and a lifetime ban on owning dogs.
