The corgi court case of Bonnie Morris, the Summit breeder charged with leaving a dozen dogs without food or water for four days, has been adjourned till at least mid-July.
Ms. Morris appeared in Summit Town Court before Justice Ivan Cole Thursday.
Because that was the first time Schoharie County Assistant District Attorney Mike Breen, Ms. Morris’ attorney, James Bryant of Schoharie, and Ms. Morris had talked, Mr. Breen said Mr. Bryant was requesting the allowed 45 days before making his motions.
That moved the case’s next court date to July 17, when Ms. Morris will not be required to appear, Mr. Breen said.
If a hearing is required, the case could be moved to August 3.
Ms. Morris’ brief appearance Thursday frustrated staff and directors at the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley, on hand to hear the case.
Ms. Morris’ corgis and a German shepherd seized from her Route 10 home were taken to the ASSV in mid-March after police said she moved out, leaving them without food and water; neighbors called police, reporting no one had been there to feed or water the dogs for four days.
Ms. Morris was charged with 11 counts of failure to provide sustenance.
“She needs to be held accountable. She acts as if she did nothing wrong,” said ASSV Director Kerrie Colin, who estimated caring for the dogs has cost the shelter in excess of $10,000 in vet, food, and other bills, and displaced other dogs they might have taken in.
In the half-hour before court was called to order, Ms. Morris, using a walker and holding a “throat back” to her larynx to help amplify her speech, showed Mr. Bryant photos of her dogs and spoke about getting them back, unaware that she was seated behind Ms. Colin and ASSV directors Erynne Ansel-McCabe, Judy Sirena, and Mary Lou Garrett.
Ms. Morris also recounted for Mr. Bryant discovering her husband dead in their bed at home on March 10, which led to her moving to a three-bedroom apartment in Schenectady a week later.
Her home in Summit is unlivable; police said there was no running water, heat, or electric.
The dogs were free to roam and there were dog feces inches deep on the floor, Ms. Colin, who retrieved the dogs, said, and black mold on the walls.
Neighbors had complained about the dogs, including their barking, filing complaints as far back as 2000.
“There needs to be consequences,” said Ms. Ansel-McCabe. “We can’t just let these things drop—and we’re not going to. We don’t want Schoharie County to be known as a place to dump animals.”
Unlike hoarding cases, Ms. Sirena said, Ms. Morris was breeding and selling the dogs and making money off of them.
“The fact that she didn’t let people in the house should have been a red flag,” she said.
The seized corgis ranged in age from about six months to 13 years old.
Two more puppies were born after an emergency cesarean section on one of the dogs; one puppy died from failure to thrive and Ms. Colin said the other will be crippled for life from birth defects.
All of the corgis except for the mom and the puppy have been adopted, and though the shepherd is slowly learning to trust people, he will need lots more work before he’s adoptable, Ms. Colin said.
“All of the dogs are safe now, in good homes,” said Ms. Garrett.