MCT

ST. PAUL – A woman told St. Paul police she put her two puppies in a large recycling bin behind an animal hospital, hoping someone would find them and save them, according to a felony animal cruelty complaint filed against her Tuesday.

The manager at Scenic Hills Animal Hospital on Burns Avenue, near White Bear Avenue, discovered the dogs the morning of May 7. One was dead; the other, lying quietly next to him, survived. The dogs hadn't been there the previous evening.

The criminal complaint charging Anna Bertha Robole, 47, gives the following information:

A necropsy was conducted on the deceased dog, Cody, at the University of Minnesota. Six of the dog's ribs showed healing fractures, and the dog was moderately underweight.

No cause of death could be determined.

Investigation led police to apartments across the street from the animal hospital. Police found that a tenant had complained April 3 that Robole abused two puppies. Apartment staff said the dogs were in Robole's apartment in violation of her rental agreement and sent her a notice that she had to pay $250 for having unauthorized pets and a $35 monthly charge for each pet until she provided written notice the dogs weren't in the apartment.

The tenant who complained told police that Robole had brought home two 10-week-old German shepherd/husky mix puppies. She said she saw Robole kick the dogs to get them in and out of her patio door and that one dog had been limping and favoring a rear leg for about a week.

Another resident's son told police he saw Robole kick the dogs in their heads, legs and hips. One dog was kicked so hard it limped for a week. The son also saw the dogs with tape around their mouths; Robole told the resident's father that was to keep the dogs from chewing and wrecking the carpet.

Robole told people in the building May 7 -- the day the dogs were found in the container -- that she was upset with apartment management and moving out.

On May 9, police obtained a search warrant for Robole's apartment. Police found an area of the carpet that appeared to have been recently damaged, a roll of duct tape and a handwritten note with the humane society's phone number and hours.

On June 10, Robole voluntarily went to police for an interview, saying "she wanted to take care of this because her name was all over Facebook," the complaint said. She told police the dogs were alive when she put them in the recycling bin and said "she should not have placed them there," the complaint said.

An officer asked why she hadn't followed through with turning the dogs over to the humane society; Robole said she'd contacted the agency, but it wouldn't take the dogs because they weren't vaccinated. She told police "the dogs had not received any veterinary care whatsoever," the complaint said.

The complaint doesn't specify what organization Robole called. Animal Humane Society spokeswoman Carrie Libera said it is an open-admission shelter -- it takes animals for any reason, regardless of whether they've been vaccinated or received prior veterinary care.

"All animals that we adopt out are vaccinated, but we do that for them here," Libera said. "In fact, one of the first things that happens when an animal arrives at one of our five shelters is they receive vaccinations."

When the officer told Robole that Cody's necropsy showed healing rib fractures and neighbors had reported seeing her kick the dog, "Robole denied she would be that cruel," the complaint said. "Robole later claimed the fractures were caused by her son's dog biting or tugging on Cody."

Robole told police she hadn't put duct tape on the dogs' mouths, hadn't seen the notice from the apartment building about the dogs and wasn't aware neighbors had complained of abuse. She said she hadn't caused injuries to the dogs.

"When asked about Cody's underfed condition, Robole claimed she ... fed the dogs Alpo three times a day but they didn't put on weight," the complaint said. "Robole admitted she had financial problems and could no longer care for the dogs. ... When asked if she thought the dog would be alive had she gotten veterinary care for it, Robole responded, 'Yes.' "

Robole, who doesn't have a criminal history in Minnesota, is to appear in court Aug. 22. She couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

Scenic Hills Animal Hospital workers named the surviving dog Scrappy, and he was quickly adopted. He has gained about 30 pounds since he was found and is in good health, the hospital manager said Wednesday, adding that he "seems to be doing great."