Dog rescue owner get prison time after 30 dogs found dead in freezers, 90 seized from facility
The owner of a Butler County dog rescue where 90 living and at least 30 dead dogs were found last year has been sentenced to prison.
Ronda Murphy was sentenced on Monday to 4.5 years in prison, according to the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office.
>> PHOTOS: 90 dogs taken from ‘unlivable’ conditions at Butler County rescue
In addition to the prison time, she was also ordered to pay $16,221.88 in reimbursement to the Animal Friends Humane Society, which provided care for the dogs seized last summer.
As News Center 7 previously reported, Murphy pleaded guilty to 12 counts of animal cruelty in January. Eight of those counts were felonies.
Murphy was arrested in August 2023 after an investigation was opened into her dog rescue, “Helping Hands for Furry Paws” in Madison Twp. The investigation found that both adult dogs and puppies were being housed in various structures on two separate properties.
When deputies and investigators searched the structures, the dogs were found in “the most horrible conditions they have ever seen,” according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
The remains of at least 30 dogs were found in five different refrigerators and freezers on the properties, some of which were not working.
>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Dog rescue owner pleads guilty after 30 dogs found dead in freezers, 90 seized from facility
Investigators said that one of the garages on the properties had over 25 dog cages, some of which had numerous dogs in them with urine and fecal matter and without food and water. The garage had no ventilation or air conditioning, and temperatures were around 89 degrees.
Eleven adult dogs were found in the main house with “unlivable” conditions.
“The odor was strong enough to burn their eyes and take away their breath. Conditions were so horrendous that Deputy Dog Wardens had to leave the structure numerous times to catch their breath,” the sheriff’s office said.
All dogs that were removed from the properties were taken to Animal Friends Humane Society of Butler County for treatment.
