Honey Brook, PA - February 21, 2008 - A Chester County man pleaded guilty today to three counts of animal cruelty for neglecting dogs at an unlicensed kennel on his Honey Brook farm.
 
Emanuel Stoltzfus, of the 200 block of Mount Pleasant Road, entered the plea as part of an agreement with the Chester County District Attorney's Office at a hearing in Honey Brook before Magisterial District Judge Michael J. Cabry III.

Stoltzfus was fined $150 and placed on probation for 270 days. If he had not pleaded guilty, he would have faced fines of up to $2,250 and a 90-day jail term.

The Chester County SPCA charged Stoltzfus with animal cruelty when officers removed 24 dogs from the kennel on December 1 after receiving a complaint from a man who visited the farm to purchase a Cairn terrier. The man, who learned of the kennel on a website called puppyfind.com, asked to see the facility before purchasing an animal. He said he decided against a purchase after seeing "hundreds" of dogs standing in wire cages. The man also said that he and his wife, who accompanied him, were overwhelmed by a strong odor in the building.

Officers from the Chester County SPCA responded to the complaint on November 30 but were denied access to the kennel. Consequently, the officers were not able to enter the facility until the following morning after obtaining a search warrant from the Chester County District Attorney's Office. 

When officers from the Chester County SPCA entered the kennel, they found 24 dogs living in an unheated metal building. Many of the dogs had untreated sores between the digits of their paws that resulted from standing on wire cages without floors. Others had not received veterinary care for skin conditions and dental problems.

In addition to the cruelty charges, Stoltzfus pleaded guilty today to a charge from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture that he operated a kennel without a license. Although 24 dogs were found at the kennel when the warrant was served, an investigation by the Chester County SPCA and the Department of Agriculture found that Stoltzfus owned more than 26 dogs during the year, which requires a kennel license. He was fined an additional $50 for that violation.

According to Chester County Assistant District Attorney Lori Finnegan, Stoltzfus will not be able to own dogs, other than one family pet, during his probation. Finnegan said Stoltzfus appears to have no interest in running a kennel again and would likely be unable to obtain a license from the state after pleading guilty to animal cruelty and operating a kennel without a license.

The incident marked the second time in less than two years that the Chester County SPCA removed animals from a Chester County puppy mill. In February 2006, officers removed more than 330 dogs from an unlicensed kennel in Lower Oxford.

Only one dog from the Honey Brook kennel - an adult female Jack Russell terrier named Candice - is still at the Chester County SPCA and available for adoption. Other dogs from the case, including beagles, pugs, Jack Russell terriers, and various mixes of those breeds, were adopted in December and January.

Rescued from the illegal Honey Brook kennel are Marc, a Jack Russell terrier and pug mixed-breed dog, with new owner Linda McQuilkin of Downingtown, and Jack Russell terrier and pug mixed-breed dog named Robbie, with new owner Gary Plank, also of Downingtown.

A Cairn terrier mixed-breed dog named Ferris snuggles with his new owner, Jodi Reilly of Willow Grove.