Cherokee kennel operators charged with 366 counts of animal cruelty

Dogs removed from a Cherokee County property near Cumming are being housed and cared for at the Cherokee County Animal Shelter.

The owners of a Cherokee County kennel where hundreds of dogs were found living in filthy conditions last month have been charged with 366 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals.

Cherokee sheriff’s Lt. Jay Baker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Guerry Wise, 79, and his 63-year-old wife, Joy Wise, were booked into the county jail July 29.

Joy Wise was released two days later on $107,000 bond, but Guerry Wise remained in jail Wednesday on bond that totaled $118,100, according to Baker.

The case is being investigated by the Cherokee County Marshal’s Office.

“The dogs were being kept in unsanitary conditions and housed in cages,” she said. “Underneath most of the cages were feces, urine and dog food that had fallen through the grates.”

The dogs were taken to the Cherokee County Animal Shelter.