Shenandoah woman found guilty of felony animal cruelty

Prosecutors leaned on owner’s lack of care and failure to address health issues, while defense argued pre-existing conditions lead to dog’s demise

By Randy Arrington

LURAY, Sept. 10 — Despite the defense attorney’s arguments that “Rosie”, a German Shepherd, had pre-existing conditions consistent with a tick-borne illness such as Lyme disease and that the owner’s actions did not meet the merits of a “willful act” to cause the dog harm, a Page County jury on Wednesday only took about 30 minutes in deliberation to reach a unanimous agreement with prosecutors that the owner’s lack of care and failure to take the dog to a veterinarian for treatment ultimately lead to the dog being euthanized last October.

Following a one-day trial in Page County Circuit Court this week, the jury found Sarah Beth Maiden of Shenandoah guilty of cruelty to a companion animal. Following a pre-sentence investigation over the next four months, the court is scheduled to address sentencing for the Class 6 felony at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026.

“Owning a pet is not a privilege, it’s a responsibility,” stated acting Commonwealth Attorney Armanda Clymer during closing arguments on Wednesday. “The dog couldn’t walk, it had to be carried into the vet…the defendant left the dog in her yard for as long as it took the dog to get to that stage. That dog did not get to that point in two days. That’s a willful act.”

Maiden told the court that Rosie had issues with gaining weight ever since she fostered the German Shepherd from the Rockingham County SPCA starting in December of 2023. She also stated that up until two days before a sheriff’s deputy forced her to take the animal to emergency veterinary care, the dog will still up walking.

“You saw the steps that Sarah had to take to get that dog. She agreed to foster it [and then later adopted her]…the dog gained weight while Sarah was caring for her…and [Sarah] did all this while she was eight or nine months pregnant. The disease caused the dog to loose its appetite…she tried [various foods] and other things…The Commonwealth says she didn’t take the dog to the vet…that’s what she eventually did do…she cried when she talked to the vet [about euthanization at the emergency veterinary clinic in Verona],” stated defense attorney Scott Hansen during his closing arguments. “This is not the actions of someone who doesn’t care.”

However, the prosecution argued that the owner didn’t do enough in the overall care of the dog, and her final actions were too little, too late.

“The only time she took that dog to the vet was when she was forced to take the dog to the vet,” Clymer told the jury. “The only evidence we have that she was taking care of the dog is her own statement…all of the other evidence says something else.”

When Maiden first saw a photo of Rosie on the Rockingham SPCA’s Facebook page in December 2023, her application for adoption was delayed because the animal was “no longer available for adoption” due to illness, according to testimony. Rosie had lost eight pounds in 30 days. Once they released her for foster care to Maiden, the SPCA required two “vet checks” during the foster period through February. During the first check, Rosie had gained no weight, but then put on three pounds by the second check and was released for full adoption.

While Rosie’s weight fluctuated, she generally got along well, according to Maiden through August of 2024. However, due to her pregnancy and growing inability to care for the dog, Sarah reached out to individuals, including a friend who had boarded her for a while, and even the Page County Animal Shelter trying to find a new owner for the dog. However, no one would eventually take her.

On Oct. 24, 2024, Deputy J.W. Corbin of the Page County Sheriff’s Office went to 715 Sixth Street in Shenandoah to conduct an animal welfare check and found Rosie in the condition seen in the photo above. The photo was taken that day by Maiden’s brother, Jeremy, who testified during the trial that he didn’t move the dog because “I was afraid I might hurt her more” and that “I didn’t know at first if she was alive.” He also stated that he last seen the dog at the beginning of October and “she was walking at that point.” Under cross examination, Jeremy stated that he wasn’t aware that Rosie had a tick-borne disease or any other illness, but he had never seen the dog in that condition before that day.

Dr. Bruce Bowman, who testified for the defense, stated during his testimony that after reviewing the dog’s medical records he concluded that Rosie was suffering from “two diseases that were eating on the dog inside” that lead to her not being able to maintain weight and causing her kidneys to start to fail.

“The co-infection lead to kidney failure, and I have a strong opinion that is what happened,” stated Dr. Bowman. However, Dr. Evyman Prado Sanchez, who testified for the prosecution, stated that malnutrition from a lack of food and water was the key to her recommendation for euthanization when Rosie was brought to her at the emergency clinic in Verona (Augusta County) at 10:16 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. The ER veterinarian said the dog was “almost comatose” and although the clinic tested for various tick-borne illnesses and other disease, which did show a positive result for Lyme disease, there was only one conclusion on the dog’s current state.

“She said her children were feeding the canine and she was sure she was getting food…but that was just not resinating with the condition of this animal. You just don’t get to this point without not receiving sustenance,” the expert witness said during a preliminary hearing in February. “I told her there’s no other explanation other than malnourishment or neglect.”

It was noted during testimony that an animal can test positive for Lyme disease without actually having the disease. At one point during the trial, the defense entered a motion to strike the felony charge based on the lack of an “autopsy” on the animal’s remains, which would have provided more medical information. However, Judge Clark A. Ritchie noted that such a procedure “could have been informative, but it’s not necessarily required.”

The defense leaned on the dog’s pre-existing conditions as justification for acquittal. Hansen stated that the dog had not been tortured, had not been maimed, and “no mad scientist was conducting experiments on it.” On several occasions, including a second motion to strike the felony charge and another to introduce lesser misdemeanor charges, Hansen stated that, “It’s like saying a parent is guilty because their child has cancer. She did not cause the dog to have Lyme disease.”

However, in denying the motion to strike, Judge Ritchie agreed with arguments of the prosecution that no effort was made to adequately address the dog’s condition over a period of time.

“I have evidence that the dog had pre-existing conditions. I have evidence that those circumstances were known. I have evidence that there were attempts to surrender [the dog]. But quite simply, she did not take it to a vet,” Judge Ritchie said in his decision while the jury was excused from the room. “You use the example of parents who have a child with cancer…but I would point out those parents would take their child to the doctor.”

In February at a preliminary hearing, General District Court Judge Kenneth Alger II certified the Class 6 felony of torturing a dog to a circuit court grand jury. In doing so, a previous misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty against Maiden was elevated to felony animal torture. The grand jury indicted Maiden on that charge on March 5.

Now, following the felony conviction in circuit court, sentencing is scheduled to take place in mid-January.

About 20 members of the non-profit group Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge held back muffled celebration when the verdict was read by Judge Ritchie on Wednesday. The group held candlelight vigils for Rosie outside the Page County Courthouse back in November and again this week the evening prior to Wednesday’s trial.

•••

RELATED ARTICLES

Grand jury indicts Shenandoah woman for animal torture during March session

Judge certifies animal torture case to circuit court