A rural dog breeder was arrested on Tuesday by the Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office and charged with several counts of animal neglect.
83-year-old Henry Sommers, the owner of Happy Puppys in Cincinnati faces two counts of animal neglect with serious injury, three counts of animal neglect with injury, and two counts of animal neglect without injury.
The sheriff’s office says it received a complaint of potential animal neglect at Happy Puppys and launched an investigation on January 11th.
Investigators observed two adult Yorkshires and two Yorkshire puppies that were living in an unhealthy environment. All four dogs were recovered by a local animal shelter and later given to an area Humane Society. An examination by a veterinarian determined the dogs were being neglected and suffered injuries as a result.
The sheriff’s office says it learned Sommers previously relinquished other Yorkshire dogs that suffered injuries that required surgery.
Sommers has a history of previous violations of Commercial Breeder License Regulations, according to records obtained from the USDA and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – Animal Industry Bureau (IDALS).
The Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office sent all reports to the USDA and IDALS for review of Sommers’ Commercial Breeder License.
Sommers was arrested and transported to the Appanoose County Jail and later freed after posting a cash bond.
