SALEM — Two men accused of dumping the bodies of two puppies behind a Revere gas station in 2014 were convicted on a combined 18 animal cruelty charges.
Dominic Donovan, a 54-year-old dog breeder from Long Beach, N.Y., was found guilty of six counts of animal abuse by Judge James Lang in Salem Superior Court on Friday. Earlier this year, Jason Gentry, 37, who agreed to testify against his co-defendant, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of animal cruelty and one count of unlicensed operation of a dog kennel.
Donovan was in the process of developing his own breed of dog called “Donovan pinschers,” according to a press release from the Essex District Attorney’s Office. In November 2014, he hung two puppies by their collars because they failed to meet his breed standard. Their bodies were found 20 days later in a dumpster behind a gas station in Revere. He also cut the ears of four puppies using scissors and no anesthesia, which later resulted in the death of one of them.
“This defendant cruelly inflicted pain and suffering on four innocent puppies and inhumanly killed two others. This is not only unacceptable but criminal,” said Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. “I am grateful to everyone on the prosecution and investigative team for their hard work so that this defendant will be held accountable for these despicable acts.”
Gentry, who ran a kennel in Lynn, bought some of the designer breed dogs from Donovan back in 2014, two of them being the ones found in the Revere dumpster. The local suspect also faced charges regarding the deplorable conditions of his kennel that was forced to shut down after a raid by Lynn Police in 2015.
The Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Department and Veterinary Forensic Services thanked the Revere Police Department and Animal Control, the Lynn Police Department and their board of health, and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office for their teamwork in bringing this case to justice, according to the press release.
“The dedicated teamwork in this case optimizes Animal Rescue League’s mission and the commitment of municipal police agencies, humane law enforcement, animal control, boards of health and other state and federal agencies to dig deep into these unnecessary acts of animal cruelty and prosecute such a horrific crime,” said ARL Law Enforcement Director Lt. Alan Borgal.
Donovan will remain in custody until the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, July 25, with Gentry’s sentencing following behind.