OGDEN — The man who lived at the home where authorities found and removed 156 dogs last month now faces several hundred misdemeanor counts in the case.
Ogden city prosecutors on Wednesday filed 637 charges against Miguel Salgado-Vargas, 73, related to mishandling and mistreatment of animals. The charges are all class B misdemeanors, filed in Ogden City Justice Court.
Ogden and other animal services officers removed 156 dogs from Salgado-Vargas’ home in the 3000 block of Jefferson Avenue on April 15 after receiving a report of possible neglect. Charging papers don’t offer any sort of narrative about the removal or what led to it, and representatives from the Ogden City Prosecutor’s Office didn’t immediately respond to a query Wednesday seeking comment.
But Ogden police have said the dog owner was cooperative when authorities removed the dogs and relinquished ownership. In 2012, Ogden authorities removed 149 dogs from Salgado-Vargas’ Jefferson Avenue home, the same place where the 156 dogs were discovered on April 15, according to KSL-TV. He didn’t face charges at the time.
Now the man faces 169 counts of cruelty to animals, 169 counts of failing to properly maintain an animal, 149 counts of failing to get a rabies vaccination for an animal, and 149 counts of maintaining an unlicensed animal. He faces a single count of maintaining a kennel on his property without first getting a permit. Charging papers don’t identify an attorney for Salgado-Vargas, who’s to make his first appearance in court in the case on July 15.
Class B misdemeanors are punishable by up to six months in jail and fines of up to $1,000.
As for the dogs, they were initially housed at the Weber County Animal Services shelter in Ogden. Weber County Commissioner Sharon Bolos said all but 10 have been taken by other animal rescue organizations and shelters for care and possible adoption. The Humane Society of Utah took 45 of the critters the week after they were removed from the Ogden home.
All the dogs removed — which included smaller mixed-breed Chihuahuas and poodles — were found to be in fairly good health, according to Bolos. The 10 still at the Weber County Animal Services shelter, operated by the county, need more socialization to get them used to being around people.
The influx of animals initially overwhelmed the Ogden shelter, but Bolos said operations are normalizing. In fact, the publicity surrounding the removal of the 156 dogs caused an uptick in adoptions and the shelter is now operating below capacity. “A lot of people have come to the shelter and picked up a new pet. Our numbers are down, so that’s been helpful,” Bolos said.
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