ALCORN COUNTY, Miss.–The four owners of a puppy mill busted in October can no longer have pets or own any animals. That lifetime ban was part of their sentence given Thursday after the two couples pleaded guilty to animal abuse.
Larry and Juanita Meeks and Orville and Gloria Greenhaw also got a 90-day jail sentence, which was suspended, reported WTVA. They also have to pay a $500 fine.
The animal abuse charge was a misdemeanor. Some in Mississippi have been pushing for stronger animal abuse laws in the state. Those efforts have been blocked for several years because some feel that harsher laws and sentences could be twisted to adversely affect farmers and slaughterhouses.
The two couples were found operating two puppy mills, with about 171 dogs living in terrible conditions. Several local and national groups busted the mills and the dogs were taken to the Humane Society of South Mississippi, where they were put up for adoption after about a month.
