Woman Settled Animal Rights Lawsuit 'for the Dogs,' She Says
A Raleigh woman from whom more than 100 dogs were seized says she settled a lawsuit with an animal rights group for the dogs.
Posted — UpdatedThe Animal Legal Defense Fund filed suit against Conyers, seeking a court order to prevent her from regaining ownership of the dogs. The two parties settled on Wednesday.
Animal control officers seized 106 dogs from Conyers' home Oct. 19 after a woman who was looking to breed her poodle reported filthy and crowded conditions to authorities. Conyers, a self-described dog lover, bred poodles for almost 50 years, including the country's top dog in the mid 1980s.
Terms of the agreement prohibit Conyers, who ran a dog grooming and breeding business, from owning any animals or caring for them in any capacity.
Conyers' attorney, William R. Pittman, said his client was "doing a good deed for a friend" by temporarily housing 40 of his dogs while he searched for a permanent home. He also said that she "became an unfortunate ancillary victim of an animal cruelty investigation of another person."
"The truth has not been told, and I'm being crucified, because people didn't ask what the truth was," Conyers said.
Conyers said the loss of her dogs has changed her life, but not for the better.
"That's why I got out of bed in the mornings, to take care of my babies," she said. "Now I don't want go to the shows. I don't want anything to do with dogs anymore. Because every time I look at them, I see my babies as they drove away with them in those vans."
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