Cochise County woman arrested for aggravated animal cruelty

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said Anna Fuller was arrested on June 21.

COCHISE COUNTY, Arizona – A southern Arizona woman was arrested on multiple counts of aggravated animal cruelty after her hitch trailer was found parked on a roadway earlier this month with nearly a dozen dogs inside, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said.

Sheriff’s office authorities said 27-year-old Anna Fuller was arrested on June 21 for the incident, which occurred June 10 in Hereford on Hargis Ranch Road near Dakota Road.

The sheriff’s office received a call that the trailer was on the road and no one was nearby, and officers began searching for the owner.

“While on scene, officers discovered several dogs in the trailer that had no ventilation or water,” the sheriff’s office said.

A total of ten dogs, including a mother and her seven three-week-old puppies, were found in the trailer.

“The conditions in the trailer were intolerable. The heat and disorder did not allow the animals to survive for long,” the sheriff’s office said.

Fuller was identified as the possible owner of the vehicle. This was later confirmed by a man who arrived at the scene and claimed ownership of one of the dogs in the trailer.

The man told officers that one of the dogs belonged to him and that he had been given permission to “take temporary custody” of the dog.

Fuller was found to be the owner of the other nine dogs. They were taken to the Douglas Animal Shelter, where they are being cared for while the case is investigated.

Fuller is charged with 40 counts of animal cruelty. She is being held on $10,000 bail.

The case remains under investigation.