i love animals (have 2 cats), but $100,000 seems like a lot, considering that Jerry Sandusky is currently free on $100,000 bond after being arrested for 40 counts of sexual abuse of minors.

they should go to jail if they are committing fraud and attempting to profit from their activities. but for animal abuse, how would jail cure stupidity or callousness? having the public pay their room and board just puts another burden on us. they should serve several thousand hours of community service in animal shelters (supervised, of course), be compelled to repay the entire costs of their crime (plus fines), and not be allowed to own animals or be in charge of any animal's welfare ever again.

I agree that it was a dumb idea to try this but let's look at this with a more open mind. First "all were malnourished"...the pictures say otherwise. Some are and some are not. It stands to reason that if you are "rescuing animals", some will be malnourished upon receipt. They don't get fat immediately. Next, "they have a dead dog in the truck". Rescued dogs have a high mortality rate. How long had the dog been dead? I've got a dead dog at home now and I promise you that he was well cared for. I'll bury him when I get home. Next, would it have beeen better if they had abandoned the animals in CA. I doubt seriously if they could have found a shelter that would have accepted 128 animals.

My point is that what these women did was not intelligently planned but it was not criminal.

Verdict..Guilty of stupidity.

Get a rope.

Those people need to be punished for there cruel actions. Those poor little dogs didn't deserve such lack of care. Don't tell me they were helping the animals they were the abusers. Animal Cruelty!!! Pure and simple.

The couple were probably pretending to be part of a rescue organization. They probably are really 'bunchers'-people hired by research labs to collect animals. Which is why the animals were being transported as they were.

I would love to adopt a Pomeranian if they are allowing adoptions. This is really sad...

Here's my question: 128 dogs and 1 cat....and they're charged with 128 counts of aggravated animal cruelty? Why not 129 counts? WHAT ABOUT THE CAT????????? I'm not a cat peerson.....I actually never had cats or dogs ( allergies ), but this cat got dissed!!!!

Great, more animal hoarders. At least these days steps are being taken against these sadists instead of just letting them pass themselves off as "puppy farms" or somesuch.

I noticed a story a few days back about a father who lit his child on fire and it did not bother me but this story makes me enraged. Weird state of affairs these days. Numb to human suffering but love them pups. Never met a dog i didnt feel love for but people kinda suck. (yes i am lumping myself in that group)

These women work for a rescue organization... even if FOR PROFIT it cant be much. They are traveling across country spending time and money to do what they think is best for animals no one else cared about... How ridiculous of this officer to see this as cruelty and not a temporary uncomfortable ride to a place where their life will be greatly improved and they dont have to live in a cage in a shelter anymore. F'n idiots always telling others how they should be or how they should do things....

OMfn G! Just take them out and feed these "animals" to the wolves. They don't deserve a trial as they know full well what they did. Yes, animals are so much kinder than 2 legged animals

Let's throw them in the back of a U-Haul with 128 hungry dogs...see what happens,

I would really like to find out what happens with this whole story down the road?

What rescue group would send this many animals this far and for what? new homes? I hope these poor animals weren't being sent somewhere where they use the animals for cosmetic's testing or something like that. Why couldn't these animals be placed in the area that these 2 people came from or split up into smaller groups and found new homes, maybe even bringing in help from other groups?

Usually speaking in my opinion at least, Smaller dogs are easier to place than the large breeds and it seemed that most of these were just that, small. hmm

"Common sense" has disappeared from society these days and sadly it cannot be taught, you either have it or you don't, sad.

Does anyone know if there are any of those "Animal testing facilities" in the area these 2 were headed for?

I hope MSNBC follows up on this story, Please?

Pulled them over for drugs?

What was the basis?

Seems pretty weak since there were no drugs.

By Tuesday afternoon, the women -- Bonnie Sheehan, 55, and a passenger, Pamela A. King-McCracken, 59

Is she related to Phil McCracken???

Does anyone but me realize the women were headed to the Northeast where animal adoptions are much more frequent due to a larger more affluent population???

That's where all the animals that can't be placed after natural disasters are sent, simple economics.

They may have gone a a bit overboard but it was probably either transport as many as possible or put them down.

i like how the well intentioned fools cry for more federal laws. responsible pet ownership is a sign of good breeding ( i mean the pet owner's breeding of course) but to drag uncle sam in to the fight is stupid and shows the blind trust that most one topic vote morons place in the government.

secondly: I reserve the right to have an "unneutered" pet. I may want to breed a good dog myself and keep his strain going. sorry peta and who ever else thinks that this is not my right. It is one thing to fine people for releasing pets without proper homes and irresponsible breeding as deemed appropriate by the community but no one has the right to "make" you spay/neuter your animal. sorry, it is an overreaching solution to a very solveable problem. I know that great pets can be found in shelters, i have given one or two a chance but there is nothing to be ashamed of in seeking out a reasonably priced well bred dog that you can procure at a YOUNG age and bond with for life.

maybe its time we stop telling others what to do and put our money where our mouths are. if peta and other similar one topic groups truly enjoyed national support on the scale that the claim to, they would have a MUCH larger operating budget to help animals with. It is comforting to know that while they get an inordinate amount of attention, most americans are really not so stupid as to let some animal protectionist nut jobs dictate what they will do to their pet's reproductive systems.

last but not least: if you have not intention of breeding your animal then by all means do spay and neuter them, it is kind and way more cost effective than trying to find homes for unwanted litters. but i say again, NO ONE has the right to MAKE you do this.

In California (where I am) Bonnie Sheehan and her Hearts for Hounds did many years of fine humane work on behalf of dogs. I personally knew Bonnie to take in neglected, injured and sick animals and get them clean and healthy, then placed into homes. She saved a lot of lives.

A few years ago, my colleagues and I lost touch with Bonnie. It was known she -- like so many rescue groups -- was having financial difficulty, due in large part to the costs of care, feeding and vet bills.

The devil of all this is that even though the money's gone, it's so hard to turn off caring about animals, especially when their needs become more dire. When the heart is in such pain the brain can switch off, and terrible choices like this cross-country move are made.

I am grateful to the Tennessee and Virginia animal advocates who are caring for these dogs. I also hope that Bonnie and her cohort can be heard when their day in court comes. Their past good deeds should count for something.

lets see..... they moved them from long beach to tennessee and only lost one dog! how many would be alive now it they hadn't moved them??