A South Windsor woman is facing animal cruelty charges after more than a dozen dogs were found living in what police said were unacceptable conditions in Bloomfield.
Police said the investigation began on January 22 when Bloomfield’s animal control officer received a report of dogs left outside overnight in freezing temperature at a property on Tunxis Avenue Extension. Animal Control had received two previous complaints about the property in two weeks, including excessive noise and dogs barking, leading police to open an investigation into whether there was an unlicensed kennel or breeding situation on site.
The property was listed to Beech Tree Ranch LLC, which, according to police, owns Star Mountain Kennel, a breeder of Portuguese Podengo Pequeno dogs. Investigators said that the Bloomfield property did not have a valid kennel license.
When police arrived to investigate, one of the owners, identified as 48-year-old Margaret Boisture, told them they could not inspect the property, forcing police to apply for a search warrant.
When officers returned with the warrant, they found over 40 animals at the facility. Of those, 15 dogs were seized due to the living conditions and concerns about their rabies vaccinations. Another 23 were determined to be in good health and left on site, and another six were temporarily placed with a co-owner.
On the Star Mountain Kennel website, Boisture wrote that she breeds and shows these dogs and was in the process of moving them from a facility in Windsor to the new facility in Bloomfield when the animals were seized. She denied that any of the dogs were living in poor conditions.
"The notion that I would neglect the health and safety of any of these dogs is patently absurd," she wrote.
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Boisture was charged with cruelty to animals, illegal confinement, operating a kennel after license revoked/suspended and no dog rabies vaccinations. She turned herself into police on Monday.
Bond was set at $75,000 and a judge decided that Boisture cannot possess any animals or have any animals left in her care as part of the conditions of her release.
