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Article Archive > Breeder fined for selling sick dogs Breeder fined for selling sick dogs FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - A Jersey Shore dog breeder accused of selling sick dogs to customers has been ordered to pay more than $20,000 in fines and restitution. John Steib Jr., 61, of Cicero, N.Y., who operated Freehold Township-based Northern Lights Siberians, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of animal cruelty in Municipal Court on Tuesday, said Victor "Buddy" Amato, police chief of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Amato said his organization investigated complaints related to Northern Lights for the past five years, which culminated in the cruelty charges filed in February. Steib entered his guilty plea before Municipal Court Judge Thomas F.X. Foley, who ordered him to pay a $12,500 fine as well as $8,000 in restitution to dog owners for reimbursement of veterinary bills. Foley also ordered Steib to allow Monmouth County SPCA officials to conduct random on-site inspections of Northern Lights's operation on Bernice Drive. The SPCA and the local health department launched investigations after three customers complained to authorities that they bought ill dogs. The case expanded after more than a dozen other dog owners read accounts of the initial investigation in the media, Amato said. Steib, who did not return a call seeking comment, took sole responsibility for the cruelty in his plea. As a result, charges against co-defendant Lynn Overy, 47, of Mexico, N.Y., were dropped. Owners who purchased Siberian huskies and golden retrievers from Northern Lights filed complaints about their new puppies being diagnosed with an array of health issues, including kidney issues, parasites and viruses. In some cases, the health issues were so severe that dogs died before reaching their first birthday, Amato said. "This has been going on for years, and to this day we're still getting complaints," Amato said. When purchasing a dog in late 2007, Joanne Colella spent months trying to find a reputable breeder. After settling on Northern Lights and selecting a six-week old retriever, the 47-year-old from Holmdel was excited to be a dog owner for the first time. The dog, which she and her family named Angie, refused to eat and was noticeably listless, she said. At what was supposed to be an initial "well-visit" to the veterinarian, however, she learned it was infected with an parasite called Giardia, which burrows into an animal's intestine and causes cysts. Advertisement A year and a half later, Angie is relatively healthy, though she carries a weak stomach and is likely to remain under-sized for her life, Colella said. "We were just horrified," she said. Barbara Elzner, 54, of Manasquan spent $1,500 on her male retriever named Hunter in October. Within six months, she had spent over $6,000 at local veterinarians and animal hospitals to treat the dog for Parvo, a virus that causes severe vomitting and diarrhea. "I thought (Steib) was a reputable breeder," said Elzner. "He said the dog had its shots and had been wormed. In a couple of days, he was so sick he couldn't even stand or open his eyes." Parvo virus is transmitted through direct ingestion of fecal matter, said Kate Palmer, director of emergency medicine at Garden State Veterinary Specialists in Tinton Falls. "There is an incubation time of between three and seven days," Palmer said. "That means if you are seeing signs or symptoms within the first couple days of owning a dog, it came from the breeder." The disease can be fatal if left unchecked, she said. "It can be a difficult disease to try to treat. It's not something you can treat at home," Palmer said.
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