Couple sentenced to year in jail for role in Gold Bar-area puppy mill

Published 1:46 pm Monday, January 25, 2010

GOLD BAR — A Gold Bar-area couple must spend a year in jail for their role in a multimillion-dollar puppy mill operation in Snohomish County .

Jason Dean Larsen and Serenna Lynn Larsen, both 38, were sentenced this afternoon in Snohomish County Superior Court.

“It’s hard to imagine more misery contained in one place,” Snohomish County Superior Court Judge George Appel said.

The couple entered guilty pleas just before Thanksgiving to six counts each of first-degree animal cruelty.

Nearly 160 dogs last year were rescued from a home near Gold Bar where prosecutors say the Larsens lived. The couple was responsible for caring for the animals, officials said.

The dogs, mostly small “designer” breeds, were covered in excrement and lived in overcrowded conditions. Many of the dogs had matted coats and suffered from serious health problems.

Six puppy bodies were found in a freezer stored along with food. More dead dogs were found in a garbage bin.

The couple is expected to begin serving their sentences next month. The judge said that Serenna Larsen can serve her time in work release.