Pair arraigned; seized dogs may have lethal infection

A Cottrellville Township couple relinquished their rights to dogs seized by the St. Clair County Animal Control following their arraignment Friday on animal cruelty charges.

Under the agreement to hand over the dogs, the couple requested one gray cat remain in their ownership but in custody of the shelter.

Stephanie Ignash, animal control office manager, said five of the dogs seized from Michael and Lynn Higgins are showing signs of parvovirus, which can be lethal and is highly contagious.

Two puppies at animal control tested positive and were relinquished to the Humane Society of St. Clair County SNAP rescue.

Sandy Kilby, executive director of the rescue, said they are in treatment at an emergency vet clinic.

"They made it through the night, they're still in...serious condition," she said.

Kilby said none of the dogs they originally took have shown symptoms.

Live from court: Cottrellville couple to be charged with animal cruelty

Animal Control is not adopting out any dogs at this time due to the outbreak. Cats are still being adopted out of the shelter, as parvovirus is not communicable across species.

"We're working very hard and diligently to get this under control," Ignash said.

A motion hearing filed requesting the judge order the animals be forfeited to authorities if an agreement hadn't been met stated a vet will determine if "euthanasia is necessary to relieve pain and suffering."

The Higginses were charged with animal abandonment/cruelty to 10 or more animals, a 4-year felony. District Judge Michael Hulewicz set their bonds at $5,000, with stipulations including they are not to leave the state or have any animals.

"Anything you can think of even down to goldfish, I don't want in your possession or care," the judge said.

Lynn Higgins told the judge she has two horses at a local boarding stable. Hulewicz said she was not to care for the animals.

The couple will return to court at 9 a.m. July 6 for a probable cause hearing. A preliminary examination is scheduled for 9 a.m. July 13.

The couple requested court-appointed attorneys.

The St. Clair County Sheriff Department responded to the Higgins home in the 7500 block of South River Road June 14 after a neighbor reported constant barking and a foul odor coming from the home.

More than 20 dogs were turned over to the sheriff animal control the first day. The Higginses also turned over 23 dogs to a Colorado based Norwegian buhund rescue, which arranged housing for the animals in Michigan. Another nine were given to the St. Clair County Humane Society SNAP, and six dogs were turned over to the Blue Water Area Humane Society.

The Colorado rescue said none of the dogs they took in have showed signs of illness. Dogs at the Blue Water Area Humane Society are not showing symptoms, however they will not be up for adoption until after June 28 to ensure they are not infected.

Deputies returned to the home June 15 to take in the rest of the dogs, but the Higginses were not as cooperative and a search warrant was issued and 38 dogs and three cats were removed.

Ignash said exactly how many animals were inside the home is not clear. She said the current count is up to 102 dogs and three cats.

The dogs removed from the house include Norwegian buhunds and norrbottenspets, and Norwegian spitz mixes.

Contact Liz Shepard at (810) 989-6273 or lshepard@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @lvshepard. Follow updates from the courtroom @THCourtCoverage.