A Lehigh County kennel owner accused keeping hundreds of animals in filthy living conditions is set to go to trail Monday.
Derbe “Skip” Eckhart was charged with animal cruelty and other counts after the SPCA raided his Almost Heaven Kennel in 2008.
Investigators found about 250 dogs crammed in cages, living in their own waste and suffering from matted fur and skin ailments.
Their inspection report described a filthy, neglected compound bursting with 779 animals, primarily dogs but also cats, guinea pigs, horses, ponies, fowl, monkeys and a pig. Most of the animals lacked access to food and water.
A majority of the animals taken from the kennel recieved medical treatment, according to the PSPCA.
Eckhart had originally agreed to plead guilty to some charges but then withdrew the plea, and his lawyer promises a vigorous defense.
Eckhart says he was trying to save dogs that might otherwise have been destroyed.
