BETHLEHEM, Conn. — A kennel owner in Bethlehem turned herself into Connecticut State Police at Troop L in Litchfield on Tuesday evening on an active arrest warrant, according to a CSP release.
Jennifer Ornelli, 47, of Bethlehem, owner of the kennel Home Away From Home on Crane Hollow Road, allegedly neglected a dog under her care from July 3-10 and faces a charge of cruelty to animals.
Following her arrest and processing, Ornelli was released on a $10,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in Torrington Superior Court on Sept. 18, state police said.
According to state police, on the morning of July 12, the Bethlehem Resident Trooper was contacted by the Bethlehem Animal Control officer regarding an alleged incident at Home Away From Home.
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The arrest warrant states the animal control officer asked for state police’s assistance with an inspection because “the owners of the kennel can be difficult to deal with.”
The arrest warrant adds that the reason for the inspection was because the Animal Control officer received a complaint about a dog that was picked up by its owner and appeared to have many health concerns that may have been developed during the animal’s stay at the kennel.
Ornelli said the dog was bleeding from the left elbow when dropped off and that its paws were dirty because the animal was urinating and walking in it. She added that she was told not to wash the dog because it bites.
Ornelli noted that the kennel feeds and cleans the dogs in its care twice a day. She said the dog in question did a lot of panting, seemed nervous and had diarrhea the day before it left.
According to the arrest warrant, the Animal Control officer explained to Ornelli that she should have an intake form with an area for the owners to sign and agree to all the details about their dog including medications, food and special notes. The individual added that there should be a log for the dogs’ daily activities, feedings and grooming sessions in case any questions were raised later.
The arrest warrant included that Ornelli said there is no log because the kennel is not a big operation and doesn’t have many employees. Ornelli reportedly acknowledged that when the dog in question was picked up, she should have told the owner about its condition and offered to pay for its veterinarian expenses. Ornelli later claimed the air conditioning was broken at the time the dog stayed at her kennel as well.
“[Ornelli] stated this is why she does not want to keep the kennel anymore,” the arrest warrant reads. “She explained she just wanted her animal rescue because she loves helping the state, but the public is just not for her.”
The arrest warrant goes on to note that when the owner picked up the dog on July 10, it allegedly was sick, had a high body temperature, was covered in feces/urine and was bleeding from several wounds. A veterinarian who examined the dog encouraged her to call the Animal Control officer immediately and report the case as animal cruelty.
According to the Animal Control officer, there was probable cause that Ornelli and her two kennel workers “failed to provide the dog with proper care, allowed it to be subjected to high ambient temperatures and unsanitary conditions.”
Within two weeks of receiving the initial complaint, the Animal Control officer said they received two more complaints against the kennel and decided at that point to involve state police to assist in preparing enforcement actions.
The arrest warrant says that Ornelli, with years of experience as a kennel owner, should have recognized that the dog was suffering and needed immediate medical attention. Instead, she did not mention anything to the owner nor did she reach out to a veterinarian with concerns that should have been noticed while her staff fed, groomed and let the dog out to use the bathroom twice per day during its stay.
In conclusion, the arrest warrant states that Ornelli “displayed a failure to give such animal proper care and/or neglected to cage or restrain any such animal from doing injury to itself, in violation of cruelty to animals.”
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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