KC woman sentenced to 5 days in jail for death, neglect of dogs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City woman was released from jail Sunday after being convicted last week of animal neglect charges and serving five days behind bars.
In March of 2023, KC Pet Project’s Animal Services Division responded to a home on Crystal Avenue for a sick animal, a dog who tested positive for parvovirus and later died.
During the investigation officers discovered a half dozen more dead dogs at the home. They also heard barking coming from a closet.
“It was very dark, no ventilation, no air, no light in the closet. They had kennels that were stacked on top of each other. Some of them had multiple dogs in the same kennel. It was just not at all proper housing for those animals,” Tori Fugate, KC Pet Project executive communications director, said.
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Fourteen dogs, including doodle mixes, were seized and the women living there, Savannah Kenny and Peggy Cook, were charged with 36 criminal violations of Kansas City ordinances.
Neighbors outside that home Monday told FOX4 they can still remember the smell of feces and ammonia coming from the home.
“These people start by having these well intentions thinking I’m rescuing these animals, it gets out of hand. These animals were intentionally left in the closet. Regardless of what the situation is, if it got out of hand, it was inhumane for these animals to be held in this way,” Fugate said.
Cook and Kenny were found guilty April 30 in a municipal bench trial on 28 counts, including 23 counts of animal neglect, being over the limit for the number of dogs in a home and a city license violation.
Cook was given two years probation, Kenny was sentenced to serve five days in jail, finishing that sentence Sunday.
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“We have other cases from 2023 that are going to go through the system right now. So hopefully this is the first of many charges we are able to announce these higher penalties,” Fugate said.
Probation includes strict animal access limitations and monthly inspections. All 14 dogs who survived were eventually able to be adopted in to new homes.
