BRISTOL, Va. – Just as a peek-a-poo breeder left the Bristol Virginia courthouse last week, convicted of providing inadequate care to his 46 dogs, he was charged again – this time with felony dognapping.
William Joseph Hilliard, 74, was arrested and charged with larceny of animals, a class 5 felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
On June 25, a woman called the Bristol Virginia Police Department to report that a man in an old blue Chevy truck stole two Boston terriers from her father’s home in Mendota, Va. An investigation led police to a little house on Lewis Street that Hilliard shared with his long-time friend and dog-breeding business partner, Shirley Murray.
Hilliard had the Boston terriers, but told police a man gave them to him, said Animal Control Officer Deena Bouton.
Meanwhile, the house was so filthy and crammed with dogs that police called for city environs control, who posted the property unfit for habitation.
The dogs, mostly furry varieties of poodles and peek-a-poos and Pekingese, were taken to Jones Animal Hospital, the city’s pound.
Hilliard and Murray were each charged with 46 counts of providing inadequate care for their animals. Last Thursday, they were each convicted on 23 counts, fined $25 for each, with all but $100 suspended. Hilliard was allowed to collect five of his dogs and Murray was given four.
The rest became property of the state. According to Karen Lowe, who’s been volunteering at the pound to care for the animals, one puppy died, two dogs had to be euthanized – one for aggression and the other because it was painfully crippled from lack of medical care. Another was found to be pregnant, expecting more puppies any day now.
Hilliard and Murray arrived at the pound last Friday to pick out their dogs.
Murray said she chose her brother-in-law’s two dogs, to return to him, along with her oldest two dogs, Shmoo and Puppy, both 12-year-old spayed females.
“If I had to do it over, I’d have never started it,” she said of breeding the dogs. “I’ll regret it everyday of my life. It’s just not fair, I don’t think nobody has the right to do that.”
Murray and Lowe were both there when Hilliard picked out his dogs, too. They begged him to take Stubby, an old, blind male dog who they figured they’d have a hard time finding a home for. Hilliard refused. Instead, he took two AKC-registered cocker spaniels, one male and one female, and declared he would start breeding them. He also took Skipper, an old male peek-a-poo, and Tipper and Buffy, both unspayed females.
Lowe offered to pay, from her own pocket, to have his dog’s fixed. He refused.
“It was horrible, we begged him, ‘please don’t take these dogs,’” Lowe recalled. “He should not have gotten them back. It was a total injustice for those dogs.”
The pound hosted an adoption Monday – 24 people showed up and 24 dogs found homes. Since then, several more have been adopted. Ten, including old, blind Stubby, are still waiting for homes.
Anyone interested should call Jones Animal Hospital at (423) 968-7011.
“I miss them terribly,” Murray said. “But they’re better off being adopted out. Somebody’ll take good care of them.”
Hilliard is scheduled to appear in Washington County General District Court, on the dog stealing charges, at 9 a.m. July 28.
cgalofaro@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2531
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