Warren County woman charged with animal cruelty after 63 dogs found

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - On Thursday, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous tip of a puppy mill operation on Whitlock Road in Alvaton.

“Our animal control responded our there and they made contact eventually with the home owner and we were able to discern that there were 63 animals kind of in different areas,” Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower said.

Officials said the 63 dogs that were found were living in unsanitary conditions.

“A lot of times with these situations, you know, people unbeknownst to them will purchase these animals, and they’re not cheap, and then they get them and just through the circumstances sometimes through the environment these dogs become ill,” Sheriff Hightower said.

Donna Byard was charged for 63 counts of Cruelty to Animals 2nd degree. All of the dogs were removed from the property and taken to the Bowling Green Warren County Humane Society, however they are not currently up for adoption.

“What we ask people to do is to vet anybody that you’re going to purchase one of these animals from. Maybe even go out and physically walk through and see the facility in which they are doing these programs from to make sure everyone feels safe and comfortable,” Sheriff Hightower said.

Both Sheriff Hightower and a representative of the Bowling Green Warren County Humane Society believe animal welfare laws in Kentucky could be updated to hold these operations more accountable. You can read more on the issue by reading this article.

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