Charges filed in animal cruelty case

BY POLLY KEARY, EDITOR

Jason and Serrena Larsen, both 37, of Gold Bar, face six charges each of first degree animal cruelty following the Jan. 16 raid of their home which resulted in the seizure of almost 160 dogs, many in debilitated condition.

Last Friday, the couple pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Initially, the police searched the home in response to a complaint that two children were living in the home in deplorable conditions. A former schoolmate tipped police off after visiting Larsen and was horrified, he said, at the conditions in which two children stayed.

When police arrived, the conditions they found were indeed deplorable, they said. There were more than 150 dogs in the home, many in small crates, and there was pet waste throughout every room. The smell, which officers described as "noxious, overwhelming, and utterly disgusting" burned the eyes of officers and caused some of them to become ill.

The dogs, mostly miniatures, were often kept several to a cage, with matted fur, and in many cases, serious dehydration. All had fleas. Areas of the floors were sinking due to urine saturation, and parts of ceilings in the living room and living room were also falling due to pet waste in above rooms.

A veterinarian that examined the dogs in the home reported that in many dogs, medical conditions had gone untreated to disastrous effect. "A few dogs had chronic eye diseases, including chronic, non-treated corneal ulcers," he reported. "Two dogs had eyes that had previously ruptured."

All cages were heavily soiled, he said. There was nowhere clean for the dogs to rest.
In a freezer, the vet found four puppies.

Although the Larsens have said that the puppies were frozen after death in order to perform autopsies, the vet said that at least one of the puppies appears to have been alive when placed int he freezer. "The dogs in the freezer were all young puppies," he said. "None appeared to have been stillborn do the that fact that all umbilical cords were shriveled, if present at all. A couple of the puppies appeared to have only a few days old and likely died from fading puppy syndrome, a combination of poor nutrition, dehydration and hypothermia exacerbated by infection and disease. One of the older puppies had frozen respiratory secretions around the oral cavity, consistent with it being alive when placed in the freezer."

Dogs were found soaked in waste in unheated spaces in several places.

One dog was found with advanced cancer, several with missing limbs, many had oral infections, there was urine and feces in many water dishes, a dead dog was found in a plastic bag in the middle of a hallway, and the mummified husk of what appeared to be a beagle was found in an outbuilding.

In all, the vet concluded that the entire operation was inhumane.

"The general state of the animals indicates incredible intentional neglect," he reported. "They were abused by being allowed to live with painful conditions and diseases and by being killed at home by the owner in an inhumane manner. They were kept in a state of constant stress, discomfort, and pain, with no attempts to alleviate thier suffering."

The Larsens told police that they were raising dogs for another breeder, a Rene Roske of Snohomish, who has denied being the owner of the dogs.

The Larsens started out with just 28 dogs but were moved to the house outside Gold Bar in order to be able to handle more dogs. Eventually, police say Jason Larsen admitted that they'd gotten way over their heads, alhtough he also said the operation netted millions.

The investigation led to a raid on another breeding operation in Snohomish County that resulted in the removal of 450 dogs.

Prosecutor Jarett Goodkin said Thursday he doesn't know why others in his department chose to limit the charges to just six when more than 150 dogs were found in terrible shape. But he believes the counts are related to the six dogs that were found dead.

A judge last Friday refused defense requests that press be barred from the court as not to prejudice future juries. The judge said that the case had already appeared in the media and that the defendants pictures had already been in papers.

Back to main page
>