Animal cruelty exam delayed until April
One count of practicing veterinary medicine without license added to charges
A preliminary examination scheduled for an animal cruelty case in New Baltimore 42-2 District Court has been adjourned until April 25.
Karmen Schooly, who was charged in January 2023 with one count of animal abandonment/cruelty; one count of health profession unauthorized practice; and one count of owning an unauthorized animal shelter pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of practicing veterinary medicine without a license was added at the March 7 hearing.
Schooly, 46, is the owner of Tri-County Animal Rescue in Pontiac and is charged in connection with six Australian Cattle Dog mix puppies given to Alicia Coleman of Lenox Township to foster until permanent adopters could be found.
According to Coleman’s testimony in a civil hearing in January, two of the puppies became very ill while being fostered and Schooly said she could not afford to take them to a veterinarian or pay for Coleman to have them seen by her family veterinarian.
Coleman testified Schooly gave her a bag of medications, some that were expired and none that were specifically prescribed for the dogs she was fostering, to administer to the puppies.
The dogs did not improve and Coleman took the puppies to her own vet where they were diagnosed with canine parvovirus and prescribed medications. Both dogs recovered by mid March,
Coleman said she contacted Schooly to see when she was planning to advertise the puppies for adoption. As the puppies grew, Coleman was concerned she would not be able to care for all seven of them. Schooly allegedly told Coleman she did not have room at her house for the dogs, her shelter was full and so the dogs could not be returned.
At that point, Coleman contacted Macomb County Animal Control seeking help caring for the dogs which were housed at that facility for more than a year pending the outcome of the civil and criminal court cases.
Tri-County Animal Rescue has been the subject of repeated investigations by Oakland County Animal Control officers as well as Pontiac code inspectors. Last year, OCAC referred Schooly’s case to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development because MDARD is responsible for issuing licenses to animal shelters including those that import animals from other states.
MDARD spokesperson Jennifer Holton confirmed Friday that Tri-County Animal Rescue is currently not registered or licensed with them.