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Two days before that, 12 Lancaster County dog breeders shipped 385 dogs to the sparsely populated village of Baltic, Ohio.
There the animals were numbered and stacked to the ceiling in small cages at the Farmerstown Sale Barn, an auction.
But breeders looking to buy for their own kennels weren't the only ones checking out the dogs.
Animal-welfare advocates, veterinarians and agents with the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals quietly swooped in and bought 12 dogs they said were ill, neglected or mistreated.
"They weren't difficult to find," said Bill Smith, the founder and executive director of Chester County-based Main Line Animal Rescue, who made the trip.
"All the dogs there were in really bad shape. I've been doing this for 11 years, and this is the worst thing I've ever seen," he said.
Based on the condition of the 12 dogs, SPCA agents cited six commercial breeders from Lancaster County with animal cruelty, a summary offense.
Court records show that those cited are Loren Nolt of East Earl, James Zimmerman of Ephrata, Nathan Myer of Lititz, Ella Mae Zimmerman of New Holland, Steve Stoltzfus of eastern Lancaster County and John S. Fisher of Gordonville.
The citations were issued on Nov. 10, according to records on file at the offices of various magisterial district judges. SPCA agents are sworn officers and authorized to file criminal charges in such cases.
If convicted, the breeders face not only fines and potential jail time, but the possibility of being shut down.
"Summary offenses are like traffic tickets," said Smith. "But if (those cited) are convicted, they lose their licenses for 10 years under the new dog laws."
The dog law increases cage sizes, bans wire flooring and mandates veterinary care and exercise time. It includes tougher penalties for violating those provisions.
Gov. Ed Rendell signed the law last year.
The SPCA attorneys told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the breeders likely used the Oct. 7 auction to reduce the number of dogs in their possession before the new law took effect.
"They said it seems like it was a case of them sending evidence out of state to avoid prosecution," said Smith.
The dogs purchased at the auction are in Main Line shelters, where they're being treated for undisclosed health issues.
Attorney William Lamb, whose West Chester law firm will represent the state SPCA, told the Philadelphia newspaper that the dogs "were in absolutely deplorable conditions. Based on the state of neglect of the animals, criminal charges were filed."
The dogs ranged in price from $200 to $650.
The veterinarian who chose those particular dogs, Cari Thomson of Schwenksville, told the paper they suffered from advanced periodontal disease and skin and eye conditions, among other things. Other dogs had teeth that appeared to have been intentionally broken.
