Bedford Pet Rescue Founder Arrested on Multiple Animal Cruelty Charges
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
The founder of a northern Westchester nonprofit animal rescue organization was arrested Wednesday on five counts of animal cruelty in connection with the treatment of four ill Bernese Mountain Dog puppies and their mother.
Bedford resident Penny Berk, owner of Northwind Kennels and founder of Rescue Right, which rescues dogs and cats and puts them up for adoption, was charged by the Humane Law Enforcement Unit of SPCA Westchester, the organization announced on Thursday.
Although the five dogs were rushed to a private veterinary hospital immediately after being discovered last October, the mother, named Annabelle, and the four littermates were eventually euthanized within about a week. They had suffered from distemper and parvovirus, said Ernest Lungaro, director of the Humane Law Enforcement Unit.
Distemper is preventable with proper vaccination, the SPCA stated.
“We were being told by witnesses that there were litters that were born on the property in Bedford that came from puppy mills, and so by the time we found it was (last) October,” Lungaro said.
Although the investigation is continuing, Lungaro and the other authorities made the decision to go ahead and charge Berk now. The Westchester County District Attorney’s office is also working on the case, he said. Lungaro declined to speculate whether more charges are pending or there may be additional people charged.
As of late Thursday, the rescue operation and the kennel were still operating, Lungaro added.
According to the SPCA, Annabelle arrived locally at some point from an Amish Pennsylvania puppy mill and was brought to Rescue Right with an unneutered male Bernese Mountain Dog. They were kenneled together, and because Annabelle was unspayed, she became pregnant. The four puppies were born sometime last summer.
On Oct. 3, 2023, officials from SPCA Westchester in Briarcliff Manor were alerted by several witnesses that the four puppies were sick and were denied proper medical care at Rescue Right. The following day, Lungaro, a SPCA staff veterinary technician and a state Health Department official visited the dogs and determined Annabelle and the puppies were in critical condition.
One of the puppies was euthanized upon arrival at the at the veterinary hospital. Over the following six days, the remainder of the litter and Annabelle were also put down to prevent suffering.
Lungaro said rescue organizations typically do not condone or allow breeding.
“In and of itself, it’s not illegal to breed these dogs but it is unethical…It’s kind of unethical for a rescue to operate like that,” he said.
Berk is scheduled to have her next court appearance on Aug. 28 in Bedford Town Court.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
