MONROE - The 46 dogs seized May 25, and the 17 puppies born while in custody, will not be placed back into the immediate care of their owners, a judge ruled on Thursday.
However the four owners can post bond to prevent the animals, mostly Great Danes, from being sold. The ruling came after Green County Circuit Judge James Beer determined that there was evidence that animal laws may have been violated.
"Clearly, there's a sanitary issue," Beer said of the Green County home on County F, where the dogs were living when taken by authorities with a search warrant.
Beer granted a prosecution request for a $10,329 bond, with seven days to pay. If the bond is not posted, then the county is authorized to sell the dogs. The bond amount, according to testimony, reflects what Green County Humane Society has spent to care for the dogs between when they were taken and June 16.
Unhappy with Beer's decision, one of the defendants, Kathy Williams, said she plans to appeal.
"No one bothered to ask if we have cleaned (the house) up, which we have," Williams said, following the ruling.
How much of the bond amount each of the four defendants owes individually will have to be determined by the Green County Humane Society, which will decide how much each dog is worth.
At the same time, officials are still working to determine ownership of each one of the dogs. Some prospective pet owners, besides the four defendants, may have a claim on dogs because they were in the midst of buying them when they were taken, according to earlier testimony.
In addition to Kathy Williams, 54, co-defendants Allyson Williams, 24, and Donovan Williams, 45, Brodhead, appeared in court without an attorney. Co-defendant, Melissa Harrel, 57, Brodhead, appeared with her attorney, Sheila Kessler.
Deb Broge, executive director of the Green County Humane Society, told the court that 15 of the dogs are being cared for at the Dane County Humane Society. The additional puppies, she said, came as a surprise.
"We did not know at the time they were pregnant," Broge testified, adding that it was not until a few days after the dogs were seized that staff became aware of it.
When it was time for the defense to present its case, all four evoked their fifth amendment rights, and did not speak.
Only one defense witness appeared at Thursday's hearing, James McCready, an assistant to Marty Greer, a veterinarian hired by Harrel.
McCready testified that he assisted Greer in an examination of Harrel's dogs a couple of weeks after the seizure, and that they were in good health.
However the four owners can post bond to prevent the animals, mostly Great Danes, from being sold. The ruling came after Green County Circuit Judge James Beer determined that there was evidence that animal laws may have been violated.
"Clearly, there's a sanitary issue," Beer said of the Green County home on County F, where the dogs were living when taken by authorities with a search warrant.
Beer granted a prosecution request for a $10,329 bond, with seven days to pay. If the bond is not posted, then the county is authorized to sell the dogs. The bond amount, according to testimony, reflects what Green County Humane Society has spent to care for the dogs between when they were taken and June 16.
Unhappy with Beer's decision, one of the defendants, Kathy Williams, said she plans to appeal.
"No one bothered to ask if we have cleaned (the house) up, which we have," Williams said, following the ruling.
How much of the bond amount each of the four defendants owes individually will have to be determined by the Green County Humane Society, which will decide how much each dog is worth.
At the same time, officials are still working to determine ownership of each one of the dogs. Some prospective pet owners, besides the four defendants, may have a claim on dogs because they were in the midst of buying them when they were taken, according to earlier testimony.
In addition to Kathy Williams, 54, co-defendants Allyson Williams, 24, and Donovan Williams, 45, Brodhead, appeared in court without an attorney. Co-defendant, Melissa Harrel, 57, Brodhead, appeared with her attorney, Sheila Kessler.
Deb Broge, executive director of the Green County Humane Society, told the court that 15 of the dogs are being cared for at the Dane County Humane Society. The additional puppies, she said, came as a surprise.
"We did not know at the time they were pregnant," Broge testified, adding that it was not until a few days after the dogs were seized that staff became aware of it.
When it was time for the defense to present its case, all four evoked their fifth amendment rights, and did not speak.
Only one defense witness appeared at Thursday's hearing, James McCready, an assistant to Marty Greer, a veterinarian hired by Harrel.
McCready testified that he assisted Greer in an examination of Harrel's dogs a couple of weeks after the seizure, and that they were in good health.