A Pueblo County woman has been charged with cruelty to animals for the third time after authorities seized more than 60 starving and emaciated animals from her home. The animals included horses — three of which were dead — dogs, donkeys, mules, a cat and a llama, according to Pueblo Animal Services.
Joe Stafford, director of animal law enforcement for the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, said conditions at the home in Boone on Friday “were among the worst I have ever seen. There were starving and emaciated animals scattered throughout the property living in unimaginable circumstances.”
Valarie Christine Harris, 55, was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals. She is being held on $75,000 bail.
Harris in 2007 was arrested and charged with 17 counts of animal cruelty after 19 horses were seized from the same property, east of Pueblo. She was convicted on two counts and sentenced to probation. In 2009, she was charged with two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals for having two neglected dogs. She was later convicted of a misdemeanor.
The live animals seized Friday were taken into protective custody and are being treated by Pueblo Animal Services. The shelter estimates treatment will cost about $20,000 over the next several months.
Harris is scheduled for her initial court appearance on these charges Jan. 23.
Sara Burnett, The Denver Post
