State probes Waite dog abuse case

WAITE – State animal welfare authorities continue to investigate the discovery of 18 dead dogs and 12 sickly canines apparently owned by three people who reside in this small Washington County community.

A Washington County district attorney said Thursday he will wait for preliminary results of the investigation before deciding next week if he will file a civil action in 4th District Court in Calais seeking custody of the 12 living dogs seized Wednesday by state animal control agents from two residences on Route 1.

State agents also found 18 dead dogs on the property of Thomas and Lori Farr and Tracie Ghalavin. The couple and woman live in two trailers on the property where some of the dogs had been chained. Thomas Farr owned most of the dogs, while Lori Farr and Ghalavin owned one each, according to authorities.

A neighbor, who saw the dead dogs, tipped the Maine Warden Service which notified the Animal Welfare agents.

The state will perform necropsies on the 18 dogs in the next few weeks, First District Attorney Paul Cavanaugh said Thursday.

Cavanaugh said it was an important case because of the number of animals involved.

The live dogs, all of which were huskies, except for one bichon frise, a variety of toy spaniel, had no food or water when state agents seized them. Most were emaciated, state agents said.

Cavanaugh said the Farrs lived in one of the trailers and Ghalavin lived in the other. He said he did not know whether Ghalavin was related to the Farrs. Their names do not appear in the phone book so they could not be called for comment.

The first district attorney said he is waiting for a preliminary report from state Animal Welfare agent Jennifer Howlett before he decides his next move.

“We will make a decision regarding a civil lawsuit seeking custody of the surviving animals and the forfeiture of them to the state for adoption, placement and treatment or we will decide not to. That’s the decision,” Cavanaugh said. “We try to have those happen more quickly because the statute says to and because somebody is housing and caring for the [dogs] right now and that gets expensive.”

A more complete investigation will be referred to his office later, Cavanaugh said. At that point it will be determined whether “criminal charges are appropriate for some sort of animal cruelty case involving the treatment of those dogs that died and the dogs that were malnourished,” he said. How the dogs died also will become part of the criminal investigation.

Howlett said Wednesday that the owners cooperated with the removal of the animals. The dogs were taken to the Central Aroostook County Humane Society in Presque Isle because the state already is swamped with animals.

Last week 92 sick or emaciated English springer spaniels were seized from a home in Piscataquis County.