LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Authorities in Lancaster County have charged a 46-year-old New Holland man with illegally euthanizing four puppies, according to court records.
John S. Stoltzfus Jr., 46, of the 600 block of Hollander Road, is charged with four felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and four misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals in connection to the deaths of four Sheepadoodle puppies last year, according to a criminal complaint affidavit filed by detectives with the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office this week.
The puppies, named Tammy, Terry, Todd and Tom, were between 16 and 20 weeks old and weighed about 25 pounds when Stoltzfus "put them to sleep," he later told investigators.
"We have a way of doing it -- we took good care of them," Stoltzfus allegedly told a Lancaster County detective and and enforcement officer with the Pennsylvania SPCA.
According to the criminal complaint, Stoltzfus then showed investigators where he said he'd put the puppies -- inside a floor-type drain inside a barn that served as a runoff for the cows housed inside. The drain led to a compost pile, where Stoltzfus allegedly told investigators he'd put the puppies' remains.
No remains were found in the compost pile, but Stoltzfus allegedly told investigators he'd put the remains there a week before.
Authorities began investigating on Oct. 31, 2023, when they received a report that Stoltzfus told a person running his business' website that he wanted the ad listing the four black Sheepadoodle puppies for sale removed. When asked why he wanted the ad taken down, Stoltzfus allegedly said he "put them to sleep" because the animals weren't selling.
According to investigators, Stoltzfus was then asked if he had taken the dogs to a veterinarian to be euthanized. He allegedly answered that he had done it himself.
Stoltzfus was arraigned on the charges and released after posting $10,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing has been set for March 11, according to court records.
