A Plainfield woman has been sentenced to five years of probation and will be barred for life from ever again owning, breeding, or selling pets in New Jersey following her admission of neglect that led to the deaths of multiple puppies in her care, acting Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan announced Thursday.
State Superior Court Judge Robert Kirsch also ordered that 38-year-old Suzie Bourdouvales pay over $30,000 in restitution to numerous victims, undergo a psychological evaluation, comply with all ordered treatment, and submit to periodic monitoring.
A yearlong investigation into Bourdouvales’s activities, led by New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Lt. Frank D. Rizzo II and Investigator Denyel Cusimano, in partnership with the Prosecutor’s Office, resulted in the execution of a search warrant on March 8th, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Patricia Cronin, who prosecuted the case.
Officials say on that day, a total of 19 dogs of varying ages and medical states, living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions at Bourdouvales’s home on the 600 block of East Front Street in Plainfield, were seized, Cronin said.
The investigation ultimately determined that Bourdouvales had hoarded dozens of sick puppies, many of which died due to a lack of adequate medical care. Despite this, she bred the puppies for sale to customers across the state, with some animals even dying after being sold despite their new owners’ efforts to save them.
The dogs seized on the day of the search warrant’s execution were placed into the care of the Cranford-based Best Friend Dog and Animal Adoption and Traveling Paws Animal Rescue, as well as Brendan’s Meadows Rescue in Mountainside.
Bourdouvales had earlier pleaded guilty to selling sick animals out of her car in Plainfield in 2015, after which she was ordered to pay nearly $20,000 in restitution.
Anyone with information about similar incidents is urged to contact their local police department and request to speak with the assigned humane law enforcement officer.