The court hearing for a Poway woman accused along with her husband of hoarding 94 Yorkshire terrier and Yorkie-mix dogs in filthy conditions in their home was postponed Friday.
Christine Calvert, 62, was arrested last month in Primm, Nevada, and extradited back to San Diego to face felony animal abuse charges and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. She will be arraigned Monday, court officials said.
The defendant’s husband 73-year-old Mark Vattimo, already has been arraigned on the same charges. Deputy District Attorney Karra Reedy said the Humane Society got a report in January from a concerned veterinarian about the condition of dogs that were allegedly being kept in an unsanitary dark room filled with feces, urine and mice at the couple’s home.
Officials from the Humane Society went to the home but were initially denied entrance, Reedy said. A few days later, officials were allowed in and 94 dogs were removed from the defendants’ home over six to eight hours, the prosecutor said.
Twenty-nine dogs were subsequently taken from another location and 46 dogs were seized from a motorhome when Calvert was arrested. All of the dogs that were seized from the home had health problems, including ear infections and severe matting. It was not clear why the couple had so many dogs in the residence, Reedy said.
About 90 dogs have been adopted after being nursed back to health by the Humane Society. Each defendant faces a maximum of nine years in custody if convicted.
— City News Service
