State to seek possession of seized dogs

DOVER-FOXCROFT – State animal welfare officials will be in court today seeking permanent possession of 92 English springer spaniels seized from a Dover-Foxcroft kennel in April.

The dogs were taken from Mark Hagelin, 45, and his father, Burton Hagelin Sr., 73, after state humane agents and local police, who executed a search warrant at the Hagelin home, found the dogs in “deplorable conditions.” The search was prompted by a complaint from a person who told police the animals had no food and little water.

Both father and son have pleaded not guilty to a charge of cruelty to animals and their cases will be heard later this month.

During the hearing, scheduled for 10 a.m. in 13th District Court, Judge Kevin Stitham is expected to decide whether the animals should be returned to the Hagelins or forfeited to the state.

The state has been boarding the dogs temporarily at Maine animal welfare facilities at a cost of $368 per day, according to Norma Worley, head of the state animal welfare program. The total cost incurred by the state for boarding and medical assistance to date is $22,173, she said Wednesday.

That medical assistance included treatment for hook, whip and round worms, which most of the dogs had, according to Jennifer Howlett, a humane agent who inspected the dogs when the search warrant was executed. Most of the dogs were in poor condition, had ear mites, muscle wasting, distended abdomens, conjunctivitis and many other ailments, she wrote in an affidavit filed with the court.

Living conditions in the Hagelin home were reported to be horrendous, according to Howlett. Some of the dogs were allowed to roam free inside the home, while others were boarded in the kennel. Howlett said she found no water or food for the dogs inside the home, and only snow as a water source in the kennel.

The humane agent also noted in her report that the floors, a couch, chairs and the beds in the house were covered in thick fecal matter and that the kitchen floor had a large puddle of urine about one-half inch deep that was seeping into the basement.

The court needs to act on the possession of the dogs to alleviate the stress of the humane society and of the dogs, Howlett wrote in her affidavit.

If the state wins its civil suit for possession of the dogs, Worley said she would seek restitution from the Hagelins and the dogs would be placed for adoption by the facilities holding them.

The state does not get any of the adoption fees these facilities may charge, she said.