From Carrie Kimball Monahan, Director of Communications for Essex D.A.
Dominick Donovan, 51, of Long Beach, New York, was arraigned today in Salem Superior Court on 6 counts of animal cruelty. Judge Timothy Feeley set bail at $5,000 cash and ordered him to stay away from and have no contact with named witnesses in the case. He also order him to stay away from two addresses in Swampscott and Salem associated with his co-defendant in the case. He denied the Commonwealth’s request that he have no contact or possession of any animals. The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Essex Assistant District Attorney Lynsey Legier told the court that the charges are the result of a lengthy investigation which began in November 2014 when two puppies were found dead at a Sunoco Gas Station in Revere. The investigation determined that they were allegedly killed by Donovan at the Alpha Canine Performance Center in Lynn by hanging them by their collars from a cable. That kennel was owned by Mr. Donovan’s co-defendant, Jason Gentry. A necropsy of both dogs determined that their injuries were consistent with a death by asphyxia by strangulation.
The investigation further found that the defendant allegedly cut the ears of 4 puppies without anesthetic after using duct tape to bind their mouths and paws. One of the puppies died after its ears were cut.
The defendant designed the breed “Donovan Pincher” and it is alleged that he killed the two puppies because they did not meet his standards for the breed and that he routinely cuts the ears of the dogs he breeds.
Mr. Donovan will return to court on March 10, 2016 for a Pre-Trial Conference. He is represented by Attorney Jack Atwood and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
