A Lancaster County dog breeder pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty for recklessly ill-treating an animal in his care and causing bodily injury, Lancaster County detectives and the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals announced Tuesday.
In May, Ray H. Martin, 48, of Earl Township in the New Holland area was charged with two counts of animal cruelty for removing an eye defect from a puppy with a heated kitchen knife without anesthesia. The aggravated cruelty to animals — torture, and neglect of animals — vet care, charges were withdrawn and a single charge of animal cruelty was filed according to court records. Martin waived a preliminary hearing before District Justice Jonathan Heisse on June 29. He pleaded guilty before Lancaster County Judge Howard F. Knisely on Aug. 31.
As part of the plea, Martin surrendered 17 dogs to the Pennsylvania SPCA on June 30. He will undergo two years of unsupervised probation and be prohibited from owning, contacting, controlling, possessing or gaining financial profit from dogs for five years.
“This case of animal cruelty is especially horrific,” said Nicole Wilson, director of humane law enforcement and shelter operations at the Pennsylvania SPCA. “The offender, in this case, took this innocent puppy’s medical care into his own hands, without considering the pain and suffering endured by this vulnerable animal.”
According to the charges filed:
A complaint was filed in July 2020 by a veterinarian treating an English bulldog puppy for an eye problem. During an examination, the veterinarian discovered the puppy was missing part of its eye anatomy.
Humane law enforcement officers with the SPCA confirmed that Martin had discovered the puppy had developed a condition called cherry eye — an inflamed or prolapsed gland of the third eyelid — and admitted to removing the eye defect himself. He said he performed the procedure due to the inconvenience of taking the puppy to the vet.
Martin does not hold a state dog kennel license, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s kennel inspections search database.
Anyone with information on animal cruelty is urged to call the SPCA’s Cruelty Hotline at 866-601-7722. Tips can be left anonymously.
Source: Berkshire mont
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