Bail set with $200 signature bond for Dunn County woman arrested in connection with emaciated dog
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — Bail has been set in Dunn County Circuit Court with a $200 signature bond for a 29-year-old former Boyceville woman accused of turning an emaciated dog into the Dunn County Humane Society November 1.
Anne M. Iehl made an initial appearance in court before Judge Rod W. Smeltzer December 10 with her attorney, Shelly Tomtschik.
Iehl waived her right to a speedy preliminary hearing, and Judge Smeltzer set another court appearance for Iehl February 4.
Iehl is charged with one felony count of mistreatment of animals and one misdemeanor count of failing to provide proper food and drink to confined animals.
According to the criminal complaint, Boyceville Police Chief Greg Lamkin met with a deputy from the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department on November 7 regarding a dog that had been brought to the Dunn County Humane Society on November 1.
Josh Dalton, executive director of the Dunn County Humane Society, had reported that Anne M. Iehl had brought the dog into the shelter on November 1 and said she had found him on the side of the road and he was in “rough shape.” The dog was very emaciated and had to be carried from Iehl’s car, the complaint states.
Dalton asked Iehl where she had found the dog, and Iehl said she had been moving from Boyceville to Menomonie and that she thought she had seen the dog near state Highway 79 at around 7:30 that morning, and then when she was taking another trip to Menomonie that afternoon around 1 p.m., she came upon the dog lying on the side of Highway 79, according to the complaint.
Iehl said she coaxed the dog to her with some french fries she had in the car from McDonald’s and then put him into her car and brought him to the humane society.
Worst condition
Jamie Wagner, kennel manager, began examining the dog, who shelter staff decided to call Gabriel since Iehl said she did not know the dog.
Gabriel’s breathing was labored, and both of his nostrils were blocked with a thick discharge. The dog could not walk on his own and could barely stand. He was extremely thin with bony prominences, had severe muscle loss and a lack of body fat, the complaint states.
Dalton, using the Purina Body Score Method, rated Gabriel at a condition of 1 out of 9 and said “it was the worst condition of any living animal that he had ever seen in his six years of work experience.” Gabriel’s gums were pale, and his breath smelled rancid, which is often a sign of dehydration.
Gabriel’s rear end, part of his legs and his snout all smelled of urine. His coat was in fair condition, and the dog did not have any fleas or ticks. Animals that are found as strays often have fleas and/or ticks, Dalton said, according to the complaint.
Dalton tried to give Gabriel a small amount of water in a bowl, but the dog was unable to swallow any of the water.
Gabriel weighed 23.5 pounds when he came to the shelter, and Dalton said Gabriel should have weighed at least twice that amount, given his body size. As a state-certified humane officer, Dalton said Gabriel could not have been running as a stray for very long since he had no fleas or ticks, his coat was not in poor condition and his body condition was so poor that the recent cold temperatures would have caused hypothermia, the complaint states.
Hoof & Paw
Wagner and Dalton transported Gabriel to the Hoof & Paw Veterinary Clinic where he was examined by Dr. Amy Prochnow, DVM. The dog was hospitalized for several days and was given intravenous fluids.
Dr. Prochnow provided a statement on November 8 in which she said did not suspect the dog had been lost in the woods for a very long time since he did not have any cuts or abrasions, did not have any burrs or weed seeds stuck to him, was not covered in mud, had a normal temperature and did not have any fleas or ticks.
Dr. Prochnow also believed there was no indication a medical condition had caused Gabriel’s severe emaciation because he had gained more than 10 pounds in one week and did not show any signs of diarrhea, according to the complaint.
Harley
Police Chief Lamkin, while speaking with the deputy from Dunn County, noted that he had driven to work through the same area at 7:45 a.m. November 1 where Iehl had said she saw the dog in the morning, and again at 12:15 p.m. that afternoon around the time Iehl said she had seen the dog again, and had not seen a dog along the road, the complaint states.
The deputy told Police Chief Lamkin the sheriff’s department had posted a request for information along with photographs of Gabriel on Facebook and had received an anonymous call from a woman who said she was a co-worker of Iehl’s and that Iehl had admitted she had surrendered the dog, according to the complaint.
The co-worker said she was present in August of 2019 when another co-worker had considered adopting the dog and had observed he was skinny then. The co-worker said Iehl lived in Boyceville and that approximately eight co-workers of Iehl’s were aware the dog on Facebook, known as Gabriel, was actually Iehl’s dog and that his name was Harley, the complaint states.
Another woman contacted Police Chief Lamkin who said she also works with Iehl and that she had considered adopting the dog in August and that he was extremely skinny then. Iehl had told the woman the dog had been very sick and was just “getting over it.” The woman said Iehl kept the dog inside a kennel in her house for 12 or 13 hours per day and would sometimes leave him in the kennel when Iehl went away on the weekends. The woman told the police chief that Iehl also had told her Iehl had turned the dog into the humane society, according to the complaint.
Organ failure
Dr. Westcott, also a veterinarian at the Hoof & Paw Veterinary Clinic who had examined Gabriel, contacted Police Chief Lamkin and said he had noted no signs of mental abuse or beating but that the dog had been starved, the complaint states.
Dr. Westcott told the police chief the dog was going into liver and kidney failure and his lifespan had most likely been shortened by the damage to his body done by starvation and that the dog may also have bone structure damage, according to the complaint.
Hard times
Police Chief Lamkin left a voicemail message November 11 and asked Iehl to contact him. Iehl came to the police station in Boyceville that day and started out by saying she wished to be honest. Iehl said the dog she had surrendered was her dog, Harley, that she had owned with her ex-husband, the complaint states.
Iehl told Police Chief Lamkin she was eight and a half months pregnant and had fallen on hard times financially. Iehl said she had tried to find a home for her dogs and was able to find a new home for one of her dogs, Willard, but she had not been able to find a home for Harley, according to the complaint.
Iehl said her house had flooded and Harley had “got into the water and was sick.” Iehl said she had tried to make payment plans with some veterinarians but had never gotten any treatment for the dog. She told the police chief friends of hers had come to her house during the summer to see the dog, the complaint states.
Iehl also said she had lied to shelter staff when she brought the dog to the humane society. She said she had kept the dog locked in his metal kennel inside the house while she was at work and would let him out three times a day and would feed him several times a day. Iehl said in spite of eating a lot, the dog kept losing weight.
Police Chief Lamkin informed Iehl that Gabriel had already gained 17 pounds while he had been at the shelter for the last 10 days, according to the complaint.
Iehl said on November 1, she had decided to follow her ex-husband’s advice and surrender Harley to the humane society but to lie about him not being hers because she did not have the money for surrender fees. Sergeant Rud of the Boyceville Police Department showed Iehl a photograph from the Dunn County Humane Society’s Facebook page, and Iehl identified Gabriel as her dog Harley, the complaint states.
Mistreatment of animals is a Class I felony that carries a penalty, upon conviction, of a fine of up to $10,000 and/or a prison sentence of up to three years and six months.
Failure to provide proper food and drink to confined animals is a Class A misdemeanor that carries a penalty, upon conviction, of a fine of up to $10,000 and/or up to nine months in prison.