By SANDY McGEE

GLOCESTER — An award-winning dog breeder is facing animal cruelty charges after officials say they discovered 11 malnourished dogs, including nine puppies, housed in unheated cages in a parked van on the man’s property.

Kevin O’Donnell, 47, of 1936 Putnam Pike, Glocester, was arrested on Friday and charged with 11 misdemeanor counts of mistreatment of animals. O’Donnell turned himself in voluntarily to police on Friday, said Police Chief Jamie A. Hainsworth.
According to the police chief, the charges were brought about after an investigation into the well being of 11 dogs, including nine puppies, which were discovered in January in a parked van on O’Donnell’s property.
“The animals needed to be seen by a veterinarian first,” Hainsworth said. “We were worried about their (the dogs’) well being. The report said they (the dogs) were malnourished.”
O’Donnell pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment on Friday in Sixth District Court, Providence. He is scheduled to appear again in court for a pre-trial conference on March 13.
O’Donnell could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Glocester Animal Control Officer Michael Merchant and a representative of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA) first visited O’Donnell’s residence on Putnam Pike in December after Merchant received an anonymous call reporting mistreatment of animals at the property.
“We had been there in December to check on the well-being of the dogs,” Merchant said. “They (the dogs) weren’t there at the time.”
A follow-up visit led the animal control officer and a RISPCA representative back to the property on Jan. 30, when they discovered numerous dogs and puppies housed in cages within a van parked in the front yard of the Putnam Pike property.
The unheated van contained three to four cages, which were each about two and a half feet tall, three feet wide and three feet long, said Merchant.
“They were small cages,” said the animal control officer. “They were very small cages. They (the dogs) couldn’t walk around inside.”
According to Merchant, one cage contained a mother dog and five nine-week-old puppies. Another cage contained four 12 to 13 week old puppies. The last cage contained an adult male dog, according to the animal control officer.
All of the dogs were of a husky breed, a medium sized dog that can weigh an average of 50 pounds.
Merchant said all of the animals were housed in deplorable conditions.
“They (the dogs) were dirty,” Merchant said. “They were walking around in their own feces. They had no food or water. It was very cold out, too.”
O’Donnell, the dogs’ reported owner, was not home at the time of Merchant’s visit.
All 11 dogs, including the two adults and nine puppies, were immediately transported to RISPCA, where they were treated for worms and other unknown ailments, said Merchant.
According to Merchant, the dogs and puppies have been treated and are reported to be in a healthy condition.
“All are doing very well right now,” Merchant said.
According to the animal control officer, O’Donnell was an award-winning husky breeder. “The first time we visited, he showed us ribbons and trophies he had won from some of his dogs,” Merchant said.
O’Donnell was also listed as a winning owner and breeder of two Siberian huskies placed in a Rhode Island Kennel Club contest in 2003.
Merchant said he received several complaints during this past summer from neighbors who reported a bad smell and frequent barking coming from the O’Donnell property.
According to Merchant, O’Donnell was in the process of moving himself and additional dogs he owns to Florida.
“He was in the process of moving all the dogs to Florida,” Merchant said. “We’re trying to check on the dogs in Florida. Someone we know is in contact with Florida officials.”
A town ordinance states that residents may only house three dogs on their property unless they hold a kennel license. The ordinance does not apply to puppies younger than six months old, according to the animal control officer.
O’Donnell did not have a kennel license or licenses for any of the dogs discovered in the van, said Merchant.