LITTLETON, Maine — The owners of 67 animals seized from their home in Littleton have been charged with animal cruelty, according to state officials.
John and Dawn Hulstrunk were charged with one count each of misdemeanor animal cruelty after state animal welfare agents on Jan. 13 removed 12 cats and 50 dogs that had been living in the home. Seven wolf-hybrid dogs were also ordered seized by the state.
The wolf hybrids were taken to the Houlton Humane Society at the request of state Inland Fisheries and Wildlife officials. Those animals had to be quarantined from all other dogs because they were classified as wild animals, according to Heather Miller, executive director of the shelter. To accommodate, the shelter had to remove all of its dogs from the facility to make room.
Attempts were made to find a refuge for those animals, but those efforts were not successful, according to Miller. Those seven animals have since been euthanized, by an order from Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Miller said.
Kurt Kafferlin, assistant district attorney for Aroostook County, said Jan. 27 it would take several weeks for his office to review reports from the state’s animal welfare office before determining whether additional charges will be filed against the couple, who are scheduled to make initial appearances in court on Feb. 18.
Kafferlin said he did not believe the Hulstrunks had hired a lawyer.
The seizure of the dogs and cats, as well as several chickens and four goats found in the yard, was the culmination of a two-year investigation into alleged illegal breeding and selling of dogs at the Framingham Road home, according to Liam Hughes, director of the state’s Animal Welfare Program.
When animal welfare agents and deputies with the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the home about 11 a.m. Jan. 13, Hughes said they found a collection of dogs, cats, chickens and goats living in conditions he described as “not appropriate” for the animals.
Hughes said Jan. 26 the couple “had been working with us, and they had reduced the number of some of the animals and had gotten some of the pets spayed and neutered. But the circumstances for the animals had deteriorated to a point over time that we just had to step in.”
Because there were too many animals seized for any single shelter to accept, they were dispersed between Central Aroostook Humane Society, Houlton Humane Society, Sissy’s Livestock Rescue in Oakland, Bangor Humane Society, Coastal Humane Society in Brunswick, Greater Androscoggin Humane Society, Kennebec Valley Humane Society, Animal Refuge of Greater Portland and Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk.
Hughes said the animals were signed over to the shelters, making the pets available for adoption, though most still were undergoing behavioral and medical evaluations.
The affidavit stated officials had asked Dawn Hulstrunk on three separate occasions whether she and her husband would be interested in surrendering any of the animals to the Animal Welfare Program, but she refused.
Bangor Daily News Reporter Jen Lynds contributed information to this article.
