The owner and operator of Aranwood Kennels in Mahwah was arrested on Feb. 22 on several animal cruelty charges, officials said Wednesday.
Richard A. Dubarton III, 57, who is also the Irvington animal control officer, was in possession of a dog that was found in a plastic garbage bag, malnourished and near death, at a dumpster outside the kennel, Mahwah police said.
On Feb. 19 the dog was discovered by a customer who was picking up their family pet from the kennel, police said. They advised Dubarton, and he told them someone must have dumped the Dutch shepherd there, and the animal was taken to a nearby animal hospital, police said.
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The customer alerted the authorities the next day about the dog. The Mahwah Police Department’s Animal Humane officers put together an investigation that involved contacting the dog’s owner, and it was discovered that the dog had been turned over to the Irvington Police Department, which in turn contacted Dubarton, the animal control officer, police said.
Authorities accuse Dubarton of having custody of the dog when it was discovered in the dumpster. A search warrant was issued, leading to the removal of 37 dogs from his property. The dogs were all vetted and given to local rescues for the time being.
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Dubarton was employed as an animal control officer for several other jurisdictions in New Jersey, which were all made aware of the accusations, police said.
The owner of the kennel is being charged with exposure of an animal to adverse conditions, failure to provide necessary care to an animal, failure to provide sanitary environment for an animal, failure to provide access to water to an animal, and failure to provide medical care to an animal resulting in serious bodily injury.
Dubarton was given a court date of March 8.
