On Wednesday, Justice Gerald Williams of the North Valley Justice Court ruled the Department of Agriculture was correct in seizing seven dozen sheep at the end of October. The department removed 84 sheep from a northwest Phoenix property after three were found dead. Necropsies found they died of starvation.
In his ruling, Justice Williams stated, “there is overwhelming evidence of cruelty to animals in the form of cruel mistreatment, cruel neglect and/or abandonment.”
“It’s never our intention to take away someone’s livestock,” said Mark Killian, director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture. “Whether we’re talking about sheep, horses or cattle, it’s an owner’s responsibility to care for those animals. We step in only when there is an issue.”
According to state law, the department will sell the sheep and lambs at a public auction. The Justice also ordered the owner to pay the state’s cost of feeding the sheep.
The sale will be at:
Arizona Livestock Auction
23300 W. Broadway Rd.
Buckeye, AZ 85326
Saturday, December 5