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Citing Costs, Monadnock Humane Society Asks to Send Abused Dogs to Foster Homes

Todd Bookman/NHPR

A Marlborough dog breeder accused of animal cruelty is trying to block the Monadnock Humane Society from temporarily placing the dogs in foster homes.

John Riggieri is facing 10 counts of animal cruelty for mistreating more than 50 Labrador retrievers. Prosecutors allege the animals were subjected to “unnecessary suffering” and living in a house strewn with feces.

Since being seized last month, 52 dogs and one cat have been held at the Monadnock Humane Society, which puts the cost of care at over $40,000.

Speaking in Keene District Court on Tuesday, Elana Baron, lawyer for the Humane Society, told the judge that until the trial is complete, the dogs should be placed in temporary homes.

“A shelter, though they are taking phenomenal care of these dogs, and there are a plethora of volunteers walking the dogs and taking care of them and cleaning them and feeding them, we are at the point where a shelter is not the best environment for dogs,” said Baron.

The Humane Society estimates the cost of fostering the animals at approximately $800 per week, while it places the bill for keeping the animals at its facility at $5,000 per week.

Riggieri, who is representing himself in the animal abuse case, told Judge Erin McIntyre that he opposes fostering the dogs.

“If the court takes a position today and places these animals--my dogs--they are one more step away from not being mine anymore,” said Riggieri. “They are mine and they are unlawfully in the possession of the state.”

The Humane Society says it has a contract in place that would ensure potential foster homes are aware that the placement of the dogs is temporary while the criminal case plays out. The agency would cover food and medical costs for the animals, which remain classified as state evidence.

The judge didn’t issue an immediate ruling on the request to foster the animals. A trial on the abuse charges is set for mid-September, though Riggieri alerted the court during Tuesday’s hearing that he plans to request the case be moved into federal court, citing what he called “constitutional” concerns.

Todd started as a news correspondent with NHPR in 2009. He spent nearly a decade in the non-profit world, working with international development agencies and anti-poverty groups. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.
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