Crime & Safety

NH Dog Breeder Who Abused 75 Great Danes Avoids Jail

Christina Fay, of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, kept dozens of Great Danes in "filthy, unsanitary conditions."

OSSIPEE, NH — A New Hampshire dog breeder on Thursday avoided jail after authorities said she abused dozens of Great Danes by keeping them in "filthy, unsanitary conditions." Christina Fay, of Wolfeboro, was sentenced to counseling and restitution and had her 90-day jail sentence suspended during a hearing in Carroll County Superior Court, according to NHPR. In December, Fay was convicted of multiple counts of animal cruelty. The case gained national attention and led Governor Chris Sununu to approve more regulations for so-called puppy mills like the one Fay ran.

“I’m gutted," Fay said after Thursday's hearing, according to NHPR. “I lost everything I love."

Fay was convicted of keeping 75 Great Danes in squalor in her Wolfeboro mansion. Authorities raided the residence in mid-2017 and rescued the dogs and nine more Great Dane puppies Fay was found with in Bartlett.

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A veterinarian who toured Fay's Wolfeboro home said the conditions were the "worst she had ever seen," according to a judge.

"There was a pervasive ammonia odor, so strong that veterinarians and others with experience working in kennels, and with large groups of animals, were unable to remain in the (Wolfeboro) home without taking frequent breaks to get fresh air," the judge wrote. "The dogs were forced to live in filthy, unsanitary conditions. Some were lying for many days in their own feces and urine and it was covering their coats."

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NHPR reported Fay was ordered to pay $1.9 million to the Humane Society of the United States, which has been sheltering the animals.

Photos: Some of the Great Danes seized from New Hampshire dog breeder Christina Fay. (Credit: The Humane Society of the United States)


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