NORTHFIELD, Minn. - A Northfield kennel owner is charged with multiple counts of felony animal cruelty after prosecutors say she caused the deaths of numerous dogs and puppies in her care.
Dakota County Deputies were called to Bell Kennels in September of 2011 to check on a report of mistreatment and cruelty. A witness told them that the owner of the kennel, 61-year-old Dayna Bell, had drowned puppies and other dogs in late September of 2011.
The witness, a former employee of Bell Kennels, detailed how Bell tied a rope which was attached to a cinderblock around the neck of a small dog, then throw the dog and block into a pool. The woman also told investigators Bell had taken a small dog that had bitten her outside, only to return claiming she had broken the dog's neck.
A second witness told authorities that Bell had put a puppy in a bucket of water and then placed another bucket on top of that to hold the puppy down so it would drown. A third witness saw this dead puppy in the bucket and was told by Bell that the puppy, which had been born a week earlier, was not doing well and she did not want to see it suffer.
Deputies executing a search warrant at the Bells Kennel property found 10 small breed adult dogs in individual plastic bags in a freezer chest. Investigators believed that the dogs had been wet when placed in the freezer based upon the appearance of their fur.
They also recovered other forms of evidence ranging from a bucket and a cinderblock with a rope tied to it.
Dayna Bell is charged with 16 separate counts of felony animal cruelty. Each carries a potential two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
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