HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut agriculture officials have accused a Georgia woman of trying to sell sick cats and dogs and charged her with animal cruelty.
Donna Lee Carswell of Grovetown, Ga., was arrested in Madison on Saturday.
The Department of Agriculture said Monday it conducted a sting operation after receiving complaints from consumers and the Rhode Island state veterinarian that Carswell was adopting out sick animals to Connecticut and Rhode Island residents.
Carswell did not immediately respond to a message on her business page on Facebook requesting comment. A phone listing for her could not be found.
Undercover officers met Carswell in a commuter parking lot, offering to purchase a dog. Agriculture officials seized 10 cats and two dogs in enclosures covered with feces and urine.
The cats exhibited symptoms of respiratory distress and two were euthanized.