A Wasilla man has been arrested on animal cruelty charges, after Alaska State Troopers found more than a dozen dead animals at a local home in June.
Kevin Neher, 42, faces six counts of animal cruelty, including three felonies for inflicting pain on the animals and three misdemeanors for failing to care for them.
According to troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Animal Control officers visited the home, near Mile 14 of Knik Goose Bay Road, on June 27 after receiving a report of alleged animal cruelty. The officers then called troopers for assistance.
“AST responded and located 16 dead animals on the property, 13 of which were decaying in the garage of the property, and had been for more than six months,” troopers said in a dispatch posted online. “Animal Control seized two large-breed dogs that were severely underweight and a healthy cat with consent from the owner, (Neher).”
DeSpain said in an email that the dead animals included nine dead rabbits, six dead goats and a large dog, “all in varying stages of decomposition.” All of the animals except three goats, discovered in an outdoor pen, were found in the home’s garage, Despain said.
“Animal waste and trash covered the floor outside the kennels,” Despain said. “Found were 22 small animal cages, several containing dead rabbits. The kennels were filthy, with feces, hay, and urine packed up to five inches deep. Most kennels had water stations and bowls, which were all empty.”
The rabbits and goats were too decomposed, DeSpain said, for necropsies that could determine their causes of death.
“The corpse of the dog was necropsied, and based on the condition of the animal, the veterinarian couldn’t confirm the cause of death, but believed that most likely it was caused by dehydration,” he said.
Mat-Su Borough officials weren’t available Friday to discuss the status of the seized animals.
Neher had apparently once hoped to run the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Iditarod spokeswoman Shannon Noonan said Thursday that Neher had registered to run the 2012 race but withdrew “due to not having met the race requirement qualifications for his team.” Neher never again registered to run the race.
According to his bio on the Iditarod’s website, Neher once ran a sled dog kennel in Knik, known at the time as the TundraMyst Kennel. Neher later renamed his business No Worries Mushing in 2017, saying on his LinkedIn page that his dogs “will compete in the Yukon Quest and Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.”
Court records show Neher made a court appearance in Palmer Friday morning. He was released on $2,500 bail, with a special provision barring him from having animals in his control or possession.
Alaska Public Media’s Casey Grove contributed information to this story.
