Animal cruelty charges against a Gray woman were dismissed as long as she pays court costs for the two cases against her, according to a state prosecutor.
Barbara Perry Christian, 55, 166 Buttermilk Road, Gray, was issued 70 citations – 35 for animal cruelty and 35 for not having up-to-date rabies shots for her adult dogs – in December after an animal control officer went to her home following an anonymous complaint.
She was scheduled for a hearing in Washington County Sessions Court on Monday, where the charges were dismissed on her agreement to pay court costs.
The amount of those court costs was unavailable Monday.
Christian owns Barbara’s Breeding Palace, where she breeds and sells miniature and standard Schnauzers.
When Officer Andrew Barnett went to the site in December, he found the dogs living in filthy conditions and “there was no rabies shots for at least 35 of the animals 6 months and above. The premises was lacking general maintenance and upkeep of the kennels,” he wrote in a court document.
Since the charges were levied, Christian has apparently worked to improve the living conditions of her dogs and adhered to the rabies law.
“Animal Control said she’s cleaned up a lot of the problem,” Assistant District Attorney General Michael Rasnake said. “She still has a little bit to go, but (the officer’s) confident she will do that and she took care of the rabies (shots).”
Rasnake said Barnett was at Christian’s property Saturday to inspect the place before the hearing.