Community Corner

Police: More Than 30 People Bought Dogs From Mystic Woman Charged With Animal Cruelty

One Of The Five Dogs Seized May Be Pregnant

Groton Police have identified more than 30 people living in four states who say they bought animals from a Mystic woman arrested last week and charged with animal cruelty.

Town Police Lt. John Varone said as of Monday morning, more than 30 people from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania had contacted police saying they had purchased animals within the last 12 months. The number may rise, he said.

Linda Snow, 59, who police said was living under the name Mary Howard, was charged Thursday with criminal impersonation, cruelty to animals and interfering with police.

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Police found five dogs in her home at 59 Oslo St. suffering from various stages of neglect, according to the Groton Town Police report filed in New London Superior Court. Snow had previously been charged with animal cruelty for operating a puppy mill in Massachusetts.  There were eight warrants out for her arrest.

The five dogs found in Mystic– a female Schnauzer, female Cocker Spaniel, male Maltese, male Shih Tzu, and a puppy believed to be a Shih Tzu-Cocker Spaniel mix, were treated by veterinarians. They were being held at Groton Animal Control. The Schnauzer may be pregnant, police said.

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The puppy was congested and had to be brought back to a veterinarian over the weekend, but was doing better Monday, Animal Control Officer Donna Duso said.

Varone said police are interviewing people who bought the dogs from Snow. He said she sold the animals for about $900 each.

“We’re trying to determine if, one, the dogs were actually immunized, as well as trying to establish the methodology that she used,” Varone said.

Snow may be charged as a fugitive from justice, in addition to the charges she faces related to the animal seizure in Mystic. She is scheduled to be back in court Wednesday.

A local grooming service, Fuzz Grooming in Groton City,  volunteered their services to bathe the dogs Monday. Christine Prejean, owner of Fuzz Grooming, worked with an employee for five hours to clean the animals, whose hair had to be shaved.

“A couple of them were so badly matted they couldn’t move without being in pain,” she said. “Hopefully, it will never happen to them again.”

Prejean said removing matted hair can be uncomfortable, but the animals were all well-behaved.

“They were all no problem at all,” she said. “Very, very sweet. I think they knew they were being helped.”

The dogs are being held as evidence in a criminal case, and cannot yet be adopted. Duso said people must also realize they will have special needs.

“They lived in filth,” she said.  “They probably don’t know what house training is." The older dogs might not be able to be house-trained, she said.

Snow pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in Massachusetts after police and animal rescue workers raided a house in Randolph in 2008, and found more than 100 sick puppies and older dogs on the property, according to the Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Mass.

Snow was the former owner of the now-closed Missy’s Puppy Land in Stoughton, the paper said.

Groton Town Police are continuing to investigate, and are asking for the public’s help. They are looking for anyone who bought a dog from Mary Howard, Linda Snow, Michael Howard or Mark Zimmerman, or from the the website,   http://conneticutcockapoos.com/  or from the website,   http://conneticutcockapoos.com/maltepoos.html.

 Anyone who purchased a dog from one of these websites or individuals is asked to call the Groton Town Police at  860-441-6712 or Animal Control at 860-441-6709.


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