CALAIS – The fate of Bridgett, an 18-year-old bichon frise taken from a home in Waite in April where animal control officers also found 18 dead dogs, remained up in the air Tuesday after her owner was unable to appear in 4th District Court because of health reasons.

Animal control officers also rescued 12 other dogs from the property of Thomas and Lori Farr and Thomas’ sister Tracie Ghalavin. The couple and woman live in two trailers on the property where some of the dogs had been chained. The dead dogs were in various stages of decomposition.

First Assistant District Attorney Paul Cavanaugh said that Thomas Farr has been summoned and charged with cruelty to animals. He is to appear in court June 7. Farr, who said he owned most of the dogs, willingly gave them up to the state at the time they were seized.

Lori Farr, owner the bichon frise, did not appear in court Tuesday. She has been hospitalized in Fort Fairfield, Ghalavin said.

“Scheduled for today were two civil proceedings out of the dogs seized out of Waite. One of the ladies [Lori Farr] was hospitalized some days ago and is unavailable, so the court continued that to allow her to address her medical problem,” Cavanaugh said after court.

The bichon frise is at the Central Aroostook County Humane Society in Presque Isle. Officials there said the dog had numerous health problems. However Bridgett, along with the other dogs, has received mountainous amounts of tender loving care. “One of the girls groomed her and cleaned her up,” a staff member said.

On Tuesday, Ghalavin, owner of a brown-and-white female husky puppy, relinquished her rights to the puppy after a discussion with Judge John Romei, who recommended she speak with an attorney. Her attorney, David Mitchell of Calais, said after court that Ghalavin’s decision to give up the dog was not an admission of liability.

The husky pup now can be placed for adoption by the state.

All but two of the dogs have been adopted. “Most of them have all been adopted; there are two [others] beside the [bichon]. One of the huskies needs some surgery,” said animal welfare agent Jennifer Howlett. “It has a tumor, and we need to find out if it is cancerous. We have an appointment for her to be biopsied next week, and one of the dogs is still at the shelter.”

A necropsy is expected to be performed on two of the 18 dead dogs to determine the cause of death.

“If they are deprived of shelter, deprived of nutrition or medical care, then it’s animal cruelty,” Cavanaugh said. “But if a dog owner takes his dog out to a pit … [and] took a sufficient hunting-caliber sized gun and … shot the dog, Maine statutes say that is not animal cruelty.”

On April 18, animal control officers went to the Farr-Ghalavin property and found the dogs. Farr told officials that at one point he had 30 dogs, but a virus hit the kennel last year.

“A deceased dog was lying in the kennel area, and I asked Mr. Farr what happened to her, and he stated that he had raced her, and she was fine, and then that night she died,” state officials said in an affidavit on file with the court. “The body appeared to be that of a very emaciated dog; the bone structure could be easily seen.”

Thomas Farr told animal control officers that he planned to build his kennel up again so he could race in the Iditarod in 2008.

It was on the upper part of the Farr property that animal control officers found more dead dogs. “The dogs were still tied to their chains on the doghouses, and one of the dogs was deceased in a folding wire crate. There were several skeletons and piles of fur in that area, approximately 13 in total,” the court affidavit said.

On April 20, animal control officers executed a warrant and seized 30 dogs including the 18 dead dogs. They also seized a ferret. “The dogs that were alive were emaciated and dehydrated. The dogs did not have access to water or food, and they did not have adequate shelter. The dogs drank excessive amounts of water upon arrival at the shelter,” the affidavit said.