Updated with additional information, details from the lawsuit and comments from the ASPCA
Most of the dogs seized from an animal cruelty case on June 24 will be returned to the owner today (Aug. 8), after the District Attorney’s office dismissed 94 counts against the dog’s owner.
Columbus County Animal Control will close at noon so APS staff can help process the dogs.
Deborah Dahl, 70, was originally charged with 93 misdemeanor cruelty to animals and one count of practicing veterinary medicine without a license, according to court documents. She was charged with 19 new misdemeanors and two felonies Aug. 4. Those charges are pending.
An anonymous call to the state veterinarian’s office in May tipped authorities off about Dahl allegedly video recording herself performing a surgical procedure on a dog, then sharing the video to social media. The warrants did not specify what was done to the animal.
Dahl had multiple dogs and rabbits in unsafe and unsanitary conditions at her Pone Hill Road home when Animal Protective Services, the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office and officials from the state Dept. of Agriculture Veterinarian’s Office first visited there May 29. They found “dogs pacing atop their own waste” and “the air thick with ammonia”, with cages and kennels stacked on top of one another, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office. One dead dog was found on the property as well.
“This is the largest animal cruelty operation our agency has ever taken on,” Sheriff Bill Rogers said in a press release. “What detectives and animal protection teams encountered at this property was heartbreaking—animals forced to live in filth, many deprived of basic medical care, food, and dignity.”
On June 24, the sheriff’s office, APS, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) went back to the Pone Hill Road home. Dahl was arrested, and 76 dogs and 14 rabbits seized.
The dogs included Cane Corsos, English and French bulldogs, shih tzus, and mixed breeds. Some of the animals were pregnant when they were confiscated.
The civil suit filed June 27 by the county against Dahl for recovery of expenses said the “dogs were kept in a metal building where it appeared only floor fans were used for cooling.” The lawsuit says that Dahl told investigators one of the dogs “became excited” and died of heat stroke.
The civil suit – which has since been dismissed — said that Dahl admitted “administering a calming agent to a dog” and “utilizing a stapler to staple the dog’s abdominal area closed.”
Dahl reportedly admitted to “removing staples from a cut made in the dog’s abdomen,” the lawsuit said. “Defendant/Respondent stated in a post to the Facebook account user “januarydahl31,” under the name Deborah Ross Dahl, that over Memorial Day weekend, she took in a bulldog-type dog which had recently had a c-section.
“Six days later, while the dog was still in her care, Defendant/Respondent noticed how “loose the staples were.” She stated the dog’s”insides were trying to escape” and that there was “lots of blood and tissue.”
She also posted that “she (the dog) was squirming and trying to get away, I’m sure it was painful.” She tried to “push it back in, but had to remove four staples to get the tissue back in.”
She notes she “got it as clean as I could, got tissue in again, stapled pulled together and stapled.”
The civil suit said that Dahl stated to Animal Control Officer Cora Parker “that the dog
‘experienced pain and suffering during the removal and replacement of the staples without proper anesthesia.’”
Timeline to dismissal
On July 1, court records show, an additional 14 charges were filed against Dahl, after the animals were examined by veterinarians. Dahl was released on a secured bond.
On July 2, two Highland cattle and two donkeys were seized.
On July 16, Judge Heath Nance ordered that the case be ready for trial Aug. 1, including having the animals available as evidence, according to court documents.
On Aug. 4, in Chief District Court Judge Scott Ussery’s courtroom, Assistant District Attorney Andre Hogan asked for a continuance. Defense Attorney William Gore said Dahl was ready for trial, and Ussery refused the continuance on those grounds. Hogan then dismissed the charges. Ussery ordered the animals be returned to Dahl by Wednesday. Since some of the animals were out of state, they could not be returned until today.
“The Court takes note that a valid judicial order was entered by the Hon. T. Heath Nance on July 16, 2025, pursuant to NCGS 15-11.1 to produce said animals for trial on August 1, 2025, which the State has admitted in open court by the Assistant District Attorney representing the State that the Sheriff’s Office has failed to produce the animals,” Ussery’s order said. The sheriff’s office was ordered to return a cell phone and all live animals to Dahl.
State law considers animals as property, and if a case is dismissed or the defendant found not guilty, any evidence taken from the defendant’s personal property must be returned.
The same day, warrants were issued charging Dahl was charged with two felony counts of cruelty to animals and 19 counts of misdemeanor cruelty. She posted $15,000 secured bond and was released, according to court records.
According to Dahl’s social media, she maintained at least one Cane Corso for stud, as well as breeding and selling other breeds.
Lawsuit: 11 dogs died en route to shelter
The civil lawsuit describes feces on walls and caked into cages, dogs with matted, stained fur standing in urine and feces, and other violations.
The lawsuit also revealed that some of the seized dogs died en route to emergency shelters.
On May 29, when APS performed a second welfare check on the property, they photographed cages stacked on top of other cages, with no pans to catch urine and feces. The waste fell onto dogs in kennels on the floor, as well as in their food and water dishes. One English-bulldog type had a nail that curved back into its paw pads, and had what appeared to be infected paws.
Five large dogs – two Cane Corsos, two huskies, and a Doberman – were housed outside in metal cages with no walls or roof. Two of those dogs did not have water.
When deputies and APS executed a search warrant on the property June 24, the lawsuit said, “The temperature was 81 degrees upon arrival and rose throughout the day to 97 degrees.”
Two Highland cattle, a breed known for thick, long hair, and two donkeys were in an open paddock with no shelter or shade. Water tubs in the paddock contained “cloudy brown water and algae.” The stock were “open mouth breathing,” a sign of heat distress.
Investigators found 14 rabbits in wire cages exposed to direct sunlight, with feces covering the bottom of the cages. “The rabbits had rapid respiration rates, and their toes went through the grates at the bottom of the cages,” the lawsuit said. The grates were hot to the touch at the time of the inspection, the suit said.
Three baby rabbits required subcutaneous fluids on scene.
Inside one of the buildings, officers found one dog dead in its kennel. Of the 77 dogs in cages inside the building, 41 did not have water.
The sheriff’s office and APS had made arrangements with ASPCA to assist on the case before the property was searched, the sheriff said. ASPCA arranged for forensic examinations of the animals as well as housing, since the county animal shelter was near capacity at the time.
Veterinarians determined that the seized dogs were suffering from a variety of issues, including: ear infections, eye discharge, pododermatitis, entropion, congenital respiratory abnormalities exacerbated by obesity, dental disease, cysts, lesions and excessive matting.
Eleven dogs died en route to the ASPCA shelters, the lawsuit said. Several others had to be euthanized later.
“An approximately six-week-old puppy was humanely euthanized on or about June 27, 2025,” the report said, “after she was transferred to an emergency clinic where she was placed in an oxygen cage and ultimately determined to be suffering from severe pulmonic stenosis and tricuspid valve dysplasia,both congenital conditions. This puppy suffered from severe cardiac and neurologic issues, faced a grave prognosis and entered respiratory distress without supplemental oxygen.”
A puppy of about 14 weeks was taken to an emergency clinic June 27 with pneumonia, an enlarged heart and deformed legs. A Yorkie dog about seven years of age died in the ASPCA facility in Ohio following a seizure. Medical personnel performed CPR and provided emergency care for the dog trying to save its life.
An older bulldog was put down July 14 due to numerous long term health issues, including chronic pain, infections in both ears, eye problems, arthritis, dental cysts, breathing problems and a severe skin disease.
Sixty dogs were transported and housed in specialty shelters by the ASPCA, the lawsuit said. As of July11, bills for veterinarians and boarding the animals topped $31,733. Daily continued care for the dogs was estimated at $27.76 per dog, or $49,968 per month, not including the cost for puppies being carried by several of the seized dogs.
Including the livestock, the lawsuit said, “The 30-day cost of care for all the seized animals moving forward is $50,360.82.”
General Statute § 19A-70 says that if an animal control or law enforcement agency seizes any animal due to an arrest, the shelter, in this case county government, file a petition with the court requesting that the defendant be ordered to deposit funds in an amount sufficient to secure payment of al! the reasonable expenses expected to be incurred by the animal shelter in caring for and providing for the animal pending the disposition of the litigation. “Reasonable expenses” is defined by the statute to include “the cost of
providing food, water, shelter, and care, including medical care, for at least 30 days.”
The withdrawn lawsuit asked that Dahl be required to deposit the amount of the estimated care into an account for use by the shelter until the case was adjudicated.
ASPCA Spokesperson Alyssa Fleck said CCSO requested the assistance of the non-profit in June.
Dogs Standing in Maggots, Waste Without Water
The animals were “living in deplorable conditions and exposed to extreme heat,” the statement said.
“Upon arrival on scene, the ASPCA discovered dogs confined to cages, some without access to water, inside a building with a heat index of over 100 degrees on the day of their rescue.”
Many of the dogs were of “flat face” breeds which have difficulty in hot weather, Fleck said.
“The majority of the dogs were English bulldogs whose breeding resulted in congenital conditions that make it difficult for them to breathe or regulate their body temperature,” she explained. “It appeared the dogs rarely left their cages, and many were living among their own filth and maggots. Many of the dogs had untreated medical issues including infections of the eyes, ears, and feet, and were morbidly obese, which appeared to exacerbate their heat-related distress. Deceased animals were also found on the property, and sadly, several of the dogs passed away following the seizure.”
The dogs removed from the property were transferred into the care of the ASPCA, where they have been receiving medical treatment and ongoing care, she said. The group was disappointed that the animals were returned to Dahl.
“The ASPCA has been providing extensive care for these vulnerable dogs, many of whom are medically compromised, for more than a month and is deeply concerned and disappointed the court has ordered all but 14 of the dogs be returned to the defendant,” the organization said in a press statement. “While we are encouraged that charges related to the most seriously compromised animals are being pursued, this is not the outcome we hoped for. The ASPCA remains committed to advocating for the best interests of every animal involved in this case and is actively exploring all appropriate avenues to achieve outcomes that prioritize their welfare, including legal efforts to regain custody of dogs that are returned to the defendant and to ensure their continued care and wellbeing.”
The District Attorney’s office did not immediately return a request for comment. County attorney Amanda Prince said that the civil lawsuit to cover costs of caring for the animals was dropped when the criminal charges were dismissed.
This is a developing story.
