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Article Archive > Middletown woman fined $12K for running unlicensed kennel Middletown woman fined $12K for running unlicensed kennel MIDDLETOWN - A township woman was ordered by a Municipal Court judge to pay $12,000 after she pleaded guilty to improperly operating a Chihuahua breeding operation. Members of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals seized 81 dogs from a 7th Street home in the Belford section of the township in July after a woman complained that a dog she purchased from there turned out to be sick. At the time, SPCA officials charged Marlene D. Sandford, 56, with more than 80 counts of animal cruelty for failure to provide adequate sustenance for the seized dogs. In Municipal Court Wednesday, Sandford pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay the $12,000 in fines. Judge Michael Puglisi also granted the SPCA access to perform unannounced inspections at the site in the future and ordered Sandford to obtain a valid kennel license before performing any future breeding, said Victor "Buddy" Amato, chief of the county SPCA. |