Former dog breeder now faces criminal charges in Wayne County

A former Wayne County man whose dog breeding operation was shut down by federal authorities is now facing criminal charges of animal neglect.

Daniel Gingerich, 26, has been charged with two counts of animal neglect with serious injury or death, an aggravated misdemeanor. He is also facing four counts of animal neglect, a serious misdemeanor.

The more serious charges are tied to allegations that in April 2021, Gingerich failed to provide adequate and proper veterinary care to an adult golden retriever that was severely emaciated, which resulted in the dog being euthanized, and with the alleged neglect of a golden-doodle puppy that died due to complications related to Parvovirus.

The four serious misdemeanor charges are tied the sale of 13 dogs, five of which were later shown to have medical issues. One of the dogs died and four others had serious respiratory issues, including pneumonia.

Gingerich, who now resides in Hillsboro, Ohio, has yet to enter a plea in the case. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 10. When contacted by the Iowa Capital Dispatch on Thursday, he declined to comment on the case.

Last September, federal authorities took Gingerich, the owner of Seymour’s Maple Hill Puppies, to civil court in an effort to shut down his rural Iowa dog-breeding operation. That effort culminated with Gingerich surrendering more than 500 dogs to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa and agreeing to never again participate in a licensed business covered by the federal Animal Welfare Act.

At about the same time the federal civil action was initiated, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship imposed $20,000 in administrative penalties against Gingerich and suspended his Iowa license for 60 days. Both actions were based on more than 100 alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Late last year, the state agency imposed an additional $40,000 in fines against Gingerich based on the findings of inspectors who toured his facilities the same day the $20,000 fine was imposed.

Gingerich has yet to pay either of the state fines. An administrative hearing on an appeal that was filed in one of the two cases is currently scheduled for late May.