To the editor:
The case of People v. Duthie was initiated in November 2019 when the Warwick Valley Humane Society obtained two search warrants and seized 12 dogs from my clients’ property. My clients are championship breeders of English Springer Spaniels and have been for more than 30 years. Eventually, the People charged my clients and their corporation with 36 counts of animal cruelty, charges which were absurd.
After hearing the People’s case, the Judge dismissed the 12 charges against their corporation, Laurdan Kennels, and the jury then deliberated and found my clients not guilty of 22 of the 24 charges against them. The jury convicted Dan and Lauretta Duthie of one count of animal cruelty for failing to have a mass [sarcoma] removed from the back of a 13.5 year old deaf, blind and senile dog. My clients did not do so because they felt the risk of surgery outweighed the benefit, hardly an act of cruelty, and daily bathed and applied ointment to the dog.
There was no cruelty as the law defines it and I am confident the convictions will be overturned. In short, the jury acquitted my clients of any mistreatment of 11 of the 12 dogs and convicted them of 2 counts as explained. For the DA of our county to claim this as some great victory is absurd and for a newspaper to so publish that without checking with both sides is inappropriate.
Michael Sussman
Goshen