Thursday, October 21, 2004
By Jessica Brown, Butler County Bureau
MIDDLETOWN — The 12th District Court of Appeals on Monday made the following ruling:
Affirmed the decision of Area I Court in Oxford in which a woman was evicted for operating a kennel at her residence.
Spanky (2006) |
According to the appeals court summary, Anita Baker had been cited numerous times by the city for operating a kennel in a residential district. Ray Day, who owned the mobile home park Baker lived in, took action to evict Baker alleging violations of city code and mobile home park rules, according to the court.
Area I Court ruled in favor of Day and ordered Baker to vacate the premises.
In her appeal, Baker argued she was exempt from the park's pet rules because the dogs were therapy animals. She also said she could not be evicted because a she owned her mobile home.
The appeals court ruled Area I Court had acted properly when it evicted Baker. It upheld the eviction.
Baker, 52, was charged in May with five counts of animal cruelty for allegedly running a puppy mill, according to authorities.
Investigators removed 30 dogs, most of them pugs, from Baker's trailer and said she did not have adequate food and water for them, according to authorities.