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Wolf-dog hybrids rescued by court

Prince William County kennel owner convicted of 29 counts of animal cruelty; emaciated, parasite-ridden dogs taken away.

By RUSTY DENNEN

Date published: 6/2/2005

During his trial yesterday on 29 counts of animal cruelty, Robert Clifton Artois choked back tears, telling the court, "They're not just my animals. I call them my furries. They were part of my family."

But after hearing from witnesses--including two veterinarians--and seeing page after page of pictures of flea-bitten and parasite-infested dogs taken in Artois' Triangle home, Prince William General District Court Judge Peter Steketee wasn't impressed by the defendant's show of emotion.

"Each one of these animals was in desperate condition, conditions you allowed to exist," Steketee said to Artois, the operator of Black Wolf Rescue on Fuller Heights Road. Two of the 29 dogs died shortly after being rescued by county animal control officers.

Artois had more than twice the number of animals allowed under county and federal permits. "You were overwhelmed. You should have done something. And yet you abandoned those animals," Steketee said.

After finding Artois guilty on all counts, the judge ordered a presentencing report. He asked that the gaunt dark-haired man clad in a green jail jumpsuit undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He also ordered the dogs permanently removed from Artois' control to county authorities and that Artois be barred for life from owning companion animals.

He faces up to a year in jail and/or a $2,500 fine on each of the 29 counts.

Over the past few years, Artois has had several run-ins with the county's animal control department over conditions in his combination kennel/wolf-hybrid rescue operation. His county kennel license, and a federal license for wolf hybrids allowed him to keep up to 12 animals.

Last October, after neighbors' complaints about odors emanating from the fenced property and house, authorities warned Artois about the condition of his dogs and his property.

Another search of the property April 18 led to the latest charges.

Prosecutor Sandra R. Sylvester called half a dozen witnesses who testified that the animals in Artois' care had been abandoned, in her words, "in horrible squalor." One dog had pus oozing from an open sore on its back; another's fur was matted with feces.

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Date published: 6/2/2005