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August 1, 2007

Former area kennel owners found guilty of animal cruelty

KUNKLE - A Luzerne County judge has upheld the animal cruelty convictions of a former area dog trainer and his girlfriend, who operated a kennel where several dozen dogs were found dead last year.

Senior Judge Carson Brown found Dominick J. Donovan and Jennifer C. Barisano guilty of one count each of cruelty to animals, failure to provide veterinary care and failure to clean and sanitize daily, all of which were filed by the Luzerne County SPCA. They were found not guilty on several other citations issued by the state Department of Agriculture for failing to obtain a kennel license and another citation related to a sanitation issue.

Donovan and Barisano formerly operated Pet Care Associates, a boarding kennel and attack dog training center. The kennel was shut down by the state Department of Agriculture in January 2006 after officials investigating reports of unsanitary conditions discovered 35 dogs had died.

Brown had heard Donovan and Barisano’s appeal of an April 2006 ruling by District Judge James Tupper.

For the complete story read Thursday’s Times Leader.

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