"I'll never forget the smell," Donmoyer told jurors Tuesday. "I'll never forget it, ever. The smell of ammonia was sickening."
Donmoyer, a kennel-compliance specialist with the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, described horrific conditions at the huge kennel outside Allentown during testimony against the owner, Derbe "Skip" Eckhart, who is on trial on animal cruelty and other counts following a 2008 raid.
Lehigh County prosecutor Jay Jenkins displayed a series of photos showing french drains brimming with excrement and stagnant liquid; kennel floors covered in feces; and dogs with filthy, matted fur. One photo showed puppies laying in their food dishes, evidently seeking out the cleanest, driest spot.
"This is the foulest thing I've seen at a kennel to date," Donmoyer told jurors, pointing to another photo. "These puppies had nowhere to go. They were laying in their excrement."
The dog-law bureau joined agents with the Pennsylvania SPCA on the raid at Almost Heaven, whose kennel license was revoked. Eckhart, who kept nearly 800 animals at the compound in Upper Milford Township, also faces charges that he continued operating the kennel in defiance of the state's order to shut down.
On cross examination, Donmoyer acknowledged that Almost Heaven had passed inspection earlier in 2008. Donmoyer noted that Susan West, director of the Bureau of Dog Law, was at the kennel during a passing inspection less than two months before the raid.
"Do you see any notation there of dogs in wretched, deplorable conditions?" asked Eckhart's attorney, Jeff Conrad, referred Donmoyer to an earlier inspection report.
"No," Donmoyer replied.
Conrad has suggested the case was concocted by headline-seeking animal-welfare officials, noting the Oct. 1, 2008, raid drew heavy media coverage. He suggested the buildup of feces and urine took place during the course of the raid because agents prevented Eckhart and other employees of Almost Heaven from cleaning.
Donmoyer rejected that explanation. She said it was obvious the kennel hadn't been cleaned in a long time.
"That amount of feces doesn't accumulate in a few hours," she said. "It didn't just happen."
