The case against the Rowan County dog breeder who was accused of falsifying health certificates to customers in other states has been dismissed.
In February, Kevin Settineri, who owned Right Puppy Kennel on Old Union Church Road, was charged with multiple counts of felony obtaining property by false pretenses.
But court records said there was insufficient evidence to warrant prosecuting the case.
The court document also said there was no proof Settineri forged papers, unless it could be proven by co-defendant Danielle Settineri, his daughter. All nine counts of felony obtaining property by false pretenses were dismissed in late July.
Danielle Settineri, 18, agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor offenses in exchange for dismissals on other charges. She was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of common law forgery, in lieu of the two felony convictions she could have received for obtaining property by false pretenses.
The other three felony charges of obtaining property by false pretenses were dismissed. She received a year of probation.
Kevin Settineri could not be reached by the Post. Danielle Settineri declined comment.
The father-daughter team specialized in rare dog breeds — Shiba Inu and American Tamaskan and wolf hybrids. It is unclear if the kennel continues to do business under the name Right Puppy Inc.
According to the Better Business Bureau, the Right Puppy Inc. address is listed on Old Union Church Road, Salisbury, and has a website listed under www.myshiba.com. The company’s site for Right Puppy Kennel is no longer active.
Investigators with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said in February the kennel obtained a legitimate certificate of health examination for one dog and then altered it for several other dogs.
The arrest warrants that were issued in February said the incidents occurred between March 2011 and November 2012.
Three veterinary hospitals — Mooresville Animal Hospital in Iredell County, Lenoir Veterinary Hospital in Caldwell County and Randall Veterinary Hospital in Mooresville — were listed as places where the Salisbury kennel obtained health examinations for its animals.
The falsified documents came to light after veterinarians in Lenoir and Mooresville received phone calls from out-of-state veterinarians questioning the health certificates of dogs from Right Puppy Kennel, investigators said.
Since the two were charged in February, numerous people with complaints contacted the Post. Several said after buying dogs from Right Puppy Kennel, their new pets arrived sick or were malnourished. Some said they believed their puppy’s health certificate was altered.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253. Twitter: www.twitter.com/salpostpotts Facebook: www.facebook.com/Shavonne.SalisburyPost.