George Bengal, law enforcement director of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told jurors that Derbe "Skip" Eckhart made the comment to him during the Oct. 1, 2008 raid at Almost Heaven Kennel.
Eckhart was charged after agents from the SPCA and state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement said they found hundreds of animals living in deplorable conditions at the compound in Upper Milford Township.
Eckhart says he ran a clean kennel and became a target of publicity-seeking animal-welfare officials.
On the stand Wednesday, Bengal testified that some of the animals were diagnosed with skin and eye conditions while others were covered in feces and urine.
The SPCA eventually took more than 60 of the estimated 600 dogs at the property.
Eckhart's attorney, Jeff Conrad, questioned why officials allowed his client to keep animals that originally were to be taken away for medical treatment.
"If an animal was sick enough to put it on a truck, how could you give it back?" Conrad asked.
"These animals were going to be returned to him under the conditions that he would provide immediate medical care," Bengal replied. "We could have literally taken every animal."
Conrad also asked why Eckhart and other kennel workers were detained for hours while animal-welfare agents combed the property. Conrad has suggested the buildup of feces and urine at Almost Heaven took place during the course of the raid because agents prevented Almost Heaven workers from cleaning.
"We didn't bring any feces in there and put it in the kennel," Bengal said.
Eckhart, who faces misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, also faces charges that he continued operating the kennel in 2009 in defiance of the state's order to shut down.
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Information from: The Morning Call
