A Riverside breeder who had 131 dogs removed by authorities last year has been sentenced to probation for animal neglect.
Loren Yoder, 63, owned of Sunset Valley Farm, pleaded guilty to five counts of animal neglect with injury, each a serious misdemeanor after a state inspector discovered the dogs in “prolonged pain and suffering during an August 2023 inspection.
Yoder was thusly placed on one year of probation, during which he cannot violate any laws and must pay a court-ordered fine.
From March: Riverside breeder facing 41 counts of animal neglect after 131 dogs seized from facility
‘Imminent’ health concerns spark criminal investigation
Several of the Sunset Valley Farm dogs succumbed to a deadly disease after authorities intervened.
An inspector with the state Department of Agriculture visited Yoder’s property last August, reporting that many of the dogs were in conditions that “caused an imminent threat to their health and well-being,” according to court records.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office responded to the inspection, recovered the dogs, and transported them to the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption facility. Shortly thereafter, the facility was shut down for five days when two of the dogs tested positive for canine parvovirus, a contagious disease that can be quickly fatal.
The Iowa City community provided an outpouring of support, sending food, beds, cleaning supplies and more as the facility helped the dogs recover from their injuries.
Eight of the dogs died at the facility and a ninth was euthanized, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported in March. In an interview with the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Yoder said the dogs would not have died if county officials had not been “pressured” to take the dogs into their care.
Yoder also said “brainless” women within the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship were “trying to run Iowa’s breeders and pet stores out of business.”
Yoder was arrested in March and charged with 41 counts of animal neglect, including the five he pleaded guilty to on June 10. He was also charged with 36 counts of animal neglect with no injury or death, a simple misdemeanor. Those 36 charges were not included in the plea and are expected to be dropped.
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Inspection report details poor conditions of more than 100 dogs
According to a report filed Aug. 24, the state inspector revealed that the Sunset Valley Farm facility was in disrepair, creating dangerous and unsanitary living conditions for the dogs.
The indoor housing facility at 3027 500th St. SW had only one exhaust fan, which the report said was “insufficient to remove sweltering heat” from the building. A large number of flies, both dead and alive, were scattered throughout the campus.
The inspection occurred amid a heat wave that saw temperatures reach triple digits for the first time in nearly 10 years. Many dogs could not escape the heat, with temperatures above 90 degrees throughout the building.
Sixteen female mothers were in distress from the heat and the “vast majority” of other dogs were dirty and matted.
Temperatures are not allowed to fall below 50 degrees or rise above 85 degrees for more than four consecutive hours with dogs and cats present, according to the Department of Agriculture report. The inspection also said the “whelping facility’s” heating and cooling system was unregulated.
The ceilings, walls and floors were “not maintained” under state regulations.
Inspectors also discovered that Sunset Valley Farm was significantly understaffed for a facility housing 131 dogs.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Riverside, Iowa, dog breeder Loren Yoder pleads guilty to animal abuse
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