A Denver jury has found a South Dakota dog breeder guilty of animal cruelty.
Dwight Young, 58, was convicted Wednesday on 19 misdemeanor counts and faces up to 18 months in jail at his June 19 sentencing. His conviction also could prevent him from operating a dog facility.
Young was arrested in Denver in March 2006 when local animal-control officers found 19 dogs of several breeds — two grown animals and 17 puppies — stored in “filthy, deplorable conditions,” according to the Denver district attorney’s office.
The dogs were in the back of Young’s pickup at a motel; passers-by smelled them. Authorities said at the time of Young’s arrest that the dogs did not have access to water.
The dogs were seized and later adopted out by Denver Animal Care and Control.
