The owner of a Leadville business that offers dog sled tours pleaded not guilty to 14 animal cruelty charges in Lake County Court earlier this week.
Judge John Scott arraigned Lauren Priem, 47, on a Class 1 misdemeanor charge during a court hearing on Tuesday, April 2nd. Primm owns Alpine Adventures, a dog sledding company off Route 24.
Smith approved a search warrant for the business in late January after field investigators from the Colorado Humane Society referred the case to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, according to an incident report from the sheriff's office. .
The report outlines “ongoing abuse and neglect” reported in an animal welfare complaint emailed to the Humane Society by an employee who worked at Alpine Adventures Sled Dogs for two seasons.
The employee, whose name is redacted from the incident report, claimed that employees at the store were instructed to smack the dog in the face with a glove if it chewed equipment or fought. are doing.
According to the official, during the off-season, the dogs are chained 24/7 with no walks or feeding, and when their leash gets caught on a post, they can be stuck for hours or even overnight. There was also the possibility of it being lost. Accident report.
The animal welfare complaint concerned 25 dogs, some of which were debilitated, some injured and some who did not receive the medical care they needed, the incident report states. Photos included in the complaint reportedly show emaciated dogs that have since died, several dogs on short chains, and one dog that appears to have an open wound to its neck.
When the store was searched, law enforcement officers seized 14 dogs that were being held at the Dumb Friends League of Denver, according to court documents filed in the case.
Alpine Adventures voluntarily surrendered five dogs to the Humane Society because of its high adoption rate, the Leadville Herald reported..
After a hearing in late February regarding the dogs' detention, Scott released the remaining nine dogs to Alpine Adventures on the condition that they continue to be medicated and veterinarian checked as needed, according to court documents. He ordered them to return to the dog sled. Scott reportedly said at the hearing that it was a “difficult decision” to release the dogs from the camp.
At Tuesday's prime minister's arraignment, Scott was scheduled for a five-day trial starting Sept. 23.
Deputy District Attorney Aven Rose said during the hearing that because of the volume of discovery in the case, he expected it could take at least two to three days to introduce evidence during the trial. .
Jesse Wiens, Purim's attorney, said at the end of the hearing that while there were “just two ways to look at” the case, the defense and prosecution were still trying to reach “creative solutions” that would avoid a trial. He said he is continuing. .
