March 16, 2011

UPDATE

Robin Pfeifer, 56, and Bruce Pfeifer, 56, were formally charged with animal cruelty on Wednesday.

Robin was arrested and charged with ten misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and nine misdemeanor accounts of failure to bury or cremate animal remains after turning herself in to the authorities on Wednesday.

She appeared in Nelson County General District Court Thursday afternoon where she was appointed an attorney. No bond was set so she remains in custody at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

The next scheduled court hearing for Robin Pfeifer is April 6 at 10am.

Bruce Pfeifer, facing the same charges as his wife, remains at large. Law enforcement officials tell CBS19 Robin reported her husband missing two weeks ago.

"She did report it approximately two weeks ago to another county, and then last week she actually reported it to [Nelson County]," said Animal Control Supervisor Ray Uttaro.

Police have not released a description of him.

"I'm hopeful that we will be able to locate where he is at or an area at least that he's in if he's not in [Nelson]. Then we'll be able to send the paperwork to the area he's in and get him served with papers," Uttaro explained.

Uttaro says animal control learned of the deplorable conditions after being contacted by the Nelson County SPCA, which was reportedly called to the property by Robin Pfeifer on March 14 to pick up some puppies.

As for the nine dogs rescued from the property, animal control has been doing everything in its power to nurse them back to good health.

"The animals are being very well taken care of. What we want people to know is that if you feel there is any kind of abuse or neglect going on in your area to report it to our animal control office," said Uttaro.

They can be contacted at 434-263-7047.

In addition to the nine rescued, at least three dogs did not make it. They have been sent to a lab in Lynchburg to determine a cause of death.

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March 15, 2011

The nine dogs rescued from deplorable living conditions at a Nelson County home are now being nursed back to good health in hopes of finding them a new home.

Three of the dogs taken alive from the home on Rockfish Valley Highway are receiving treatment at the Nelson County Animal Control Center. The other six are under the watchful eye of a veterinarian at the Lovingston Veterinary Hospital.

The dogs are a mixed breed, probably Shephard, Collie and Labrador. Their injuries vary from a few cuts and abrasions to a possible dislocated hip to three bloated puppies who were found inside the house living among the feces with no food.

The Nelson County SPCA has offered to help with the adoption process when the dogs have fully recovered.

The owners, Bruce and Robin Pfeifer , are nowhere to be found. A search warrant remains on their front door. Law enforcement officials say when the Pfeifers are located they could be served with more warrants, likely for neglect and abuse. Ultimately, they will be charged for every animal found, both dead and alive.

In addition to the nine rescued, at least three dogs did not make it. They have been sent to a lab in Lynchburg to determine a cause of death.

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March 14, 2011

Nelson County Animal Control is investigating reports of animal neglect at a residence along Rockfish Valley Highway in Faber.

Animal control officers say charges are pending after three dead dogs and several bags of canine skeletons were found at a home owned by Nelson County residents, Bruce and Robin Pfeifer.

Nine dogs were taken from the house alive after deputies also discovered dog feces stacked three inches thick covering the floor of the home.

"It's heart wrenching," says Animal Control Supervisor Ray Uttaro. "No animal deserves to live like this; they depends on us."

On the property there were several kennels and chained areas where the canines were kept with no food or water.

Uttaro showed CBS19 where one dog had scratched a hole in the ground, trying to get water outside of the chain-link fence where the animal was being held.

"It is so hard to come across this kind of neglect," says Animal Control Officer Carla Thompson. "It's one of the worst cases I've seen."

The nine dogs that were found alive are being held at a nearby shelter and will be surveyed by a local veterinarian who will determine the condition of the dogs. The deceased dogs and the canine remains are being delivered to a lab in Lynchburg where an autopsy will determine a cause of death.