Yellowstone County Attorney Dennis Paxinos said Monday that 59-year-old Linda Kapsa also faces four misdemeanor charges stemming from the raids on Dec. 11 and Dec. 30. Paxinos said Kapsa had failed to properly feed and care for the dogs, which she sold over the internet.
The December raids led to the seizure of 199 dogs, most of them English shepherds, and the discovery of two dozen dead dogs at Kapsa's Shady Lane Kennels. Investigators said one of the dead animals, a pug, was found inside Kapsa's trailer home.
The dogs remain under the care of Yellowstone County. They've been held at the county fairgrounds as potential evidence in the criminal case.
“It's taken a small army just to figure out how to feed and care for all these animals,” Paxinos said. “Obviously not just one person was capable of doing that.”
Kapsa could not be reached immediately for comment. She told the Billings Gazette last week that an injury had prevented her from keeping up with her breeding operation, and that she had been looking for several months for homes for the animals.
“I had been talking about it more or less all summer - for the sake of the dogs,” she told the newspaper.
Court documents indicated at least two of the seized dogs had since died from a canine virus. Others needed veterinary care for open wounds, broken bones and other injuries. The documents described extremely overcrowded conditions at the kennel, including numerous dogs living inside Kapsa's home.
Many of the dogs were living outside with little or no protection at a time when temperatures dipped as low as 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Paxinos said Kapsa could be arraigned as soon as Tuesday.
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