Pine County Sheriffs Seize over 100 Pigeons at property with Decades of Animal Abuse Cases
The property owner faces two felony charges for 'animal torture'
PINE COUNTY, Minn. – Pine County sheriffs seize over 100 pigeons and other animals from a property with a history of animal abuse cases dating back decades.
The Pine County Sheriff’s Office seized over 100 animals during a search warrant Friday at a property whose owner has a decades-long history of animal seizures and animal cruelty investigations. Records show 108 pigeons, 27 chickens, and six great Pyrenees puppies were seized from 20225 Pioneer Road near Pine City. Deputies also reported finding the bodies of multiple deceased animals, including a dog. The owner, 76-year-old Kathleen Doenz, was arrested and is charged with two felony counts of animal cruelty.
A deputy initially responded to the Pioneer Road residence on May 22 after a caller reported Doenz “had dogs and chickens that were not being properly,” the criminal complaint said. While Doenz was not home, the deputy reportedly saw four chickens being kept in laundry baskets with a “significant amount of feces present,” and was marked with auction tags.
Pine County sheriffs contacted the auction where the chickens were purchased and found that Doenz had spent a total of $7,278.50. During the May 3 auction, Doenz allegedly purchased “approximately 85 fancy pigeons, approximately 75 chickens, 11 guinea hens; and 3 rabbits.”
When deputies met with Doenz on Jun. 3 and asked about the auction, she acknowledged “spending approximately $7,000 on pigeons” but that she only purchased around “25-30 pigeons.” Doenz told deputies that “the pigeons are still in their auction cages because she believed they do not need much room,” and “the cages do not need cleaning because the waste falls through the metal bars,” according to the criminal complaint.
Pine County sheriffs were joined by a veterinarian from the Animal Human Society when they executed Friday’s search warrant. “The veterinarian determined that the cages were too small for the birds to spread their wings, and some were too small for the birds to stand,” according to the criminal complaint. A litter of “6 live puppies and 1 deceased puppy were found in the barn atop a pile of garbage” was also found on the property.
Doenz’s history of animal seizures and animal cruelty cases dates back to 1997. Court records show as recently as Apr. 9, deputies seized “3 ponies, 2 horses, 5 rabbits, 2 cats, 5 hens, 51 chicks, 1 rooster, 53 pigeons, 2 German Shepherd dogs, 6 Great Pyrenees dogs, 2 Springer-type dogs, and 2 mixed breed dogs,” from Doenz’s properties. That seizure is a part of a “separate criminal matter,” according to deputies.
In a 2013 criminal animal cruelty case, Doenz reached a plea deal in which she pled guilty to one felony count and received a one-year prison sentence.
The two charges for animal cruelty/torture that stem from Friday’s search each carry the maximum sentence of two years in prison.
