Lakeside Woman Gets Probation and Fined for Neglecting Over 60 Dogs in Her Home

A woman that was convicted last week of failing to properly care for more than 60 dogs in her Lakeside home, where she ran a boxer-rescue, was sentenced to three years probation and $8,000 restitution to the County.

Alice Via, 62, was told by Judge William McGrath that she can work at a pet store, to pay off her restitution, but cannot participate in an animal-rescue operation while on probation, according to defense attorney Chris Morris.

A jury found Via guilty of keeping an unlawful kennel, keeping animals in unsanitary conditions, failure to treat contagious animals and two counts of failure to care for an animal. She was acquitted of a sixth failing-to-care charge.

The charges arose after someone came to adopt a dog from Via and notified authorities of the unclean conditions. The house was raided, and the dogs seized last March.

Part of Via's defense was that some of the dogs had been recently rescued and therefore were not is good condition when she took them in.

Animal control officers found 63 dogs in cages and kennels in the home, said Dan DeSousa of San Diego County Animal Services, mostly boxers, with a few terriers and chihuahuas.

Many of the dogs were sickly and had skin problems or had injuries from trying to escape the cages.

Despite the "appalling'' conditions, Via apparently had the best of intentions in taking care of the canines, which were well-fed, DeSousa said.

He also said that the county entrapped Via by asking her to take dogs that would
otherwise be killed.

City News Service contributed to this report.