Andrea Rosebrock 
As if it wasn’t horrific enough at the end of October when authorities found 41 starved and sick animals at a home in Ferndale, WA, now Maria Huffman, 46, Richard Huffman, 23, and Michael Wopat, 45, have been arrested again after a tip led authorities back to the property.
On October 27, 41 animals including cats, dogs, chickens, ducks and other birds were found. Five had to be euthanized immediately they were in such terrible shape. One dog had a collar deeply embedded in its neck that had been put there as a puppy and never removed. The property in deplorable, filthy, trash heaped everywhere and the stench beyond belief.
Maria Ann Huffman, Richard James Huffman and Michael S. Wopat were arrested and charged with 7 counts of second-degree animal cruelty each.
As part of the release agreement, they were ordered not to have any animals.
On November 13, police received information that there may be more dogs concealed at the property which sent that back to investigate. They found two dog kennels with four dogs inside. All four dogs had had their throats slit. One, a ten-week-old puppy, a Yorkie-dachshund mix, was actually still alive, though just barely.
A veterinarian with the Whatcom County Humane Society told police that the dead animals suffered and died slowly.
Maria Huffman, Richard Huffman, and Wopat, were arrested again and this time charged with four counts of felony animal cruelty.
Guess these sickos were trying to follow their release order and make sure they did have any animals around. OMG! How the hell can anyone cut the throats of a bunch of dogs, one just a tiny puppy?? These are some very sick people!
As for the puppy, she was taken to the vet to be treated. Aside from having her throat cut, she’s also emaciated. Staff at the Humane Society named her Mira – short for Miracle, which it definitely is a miracle that she survived at the hand of those monsters.
“Mira’s spirit is amazing,” Laura Clark, community outreach director of the Whatcom Humane Society said. “She’s playful, friendly and loves to snuggle. She’s an amazing animal, and she’s already gaining weight.”
Lock’em up… throw away the key… they are trash and society does not need people like this! God forbid if there were children around, you can only imagine the shape they would be in. When is the judicial system going to get serious about these kinds of crimes??
OMG!!
What the hell is it with these POS? Do they get a kick out of all this SH–? Defenseless animals made to fight to the death; killing animals? How were these POS raised?
I guess they get a kick out of it cause they fell superior
to defenseless animals!!
I would love to see their throats slashed!
Marcy these POS’s only pick out the helpless, what else can you expect from POS’s?
Such offenders are seriously unevolved. Most of the civilised world left this brutal cave behaviour behind hundreds if not thousands of years ago.
Doesn’t it go to prove the generous nature of the dog that such a young and vulnerable pup can bounce back from this unimagineable horror at the hands of ‘humans’ and still be happy to play and cuddle with a human.
maybe it’s time to start a letter/email campaign to the new first lady to be. i don’t like obama, but the family seems to be aware of animal adoption options. i bet that comes from the kids doing research. i’m sure there are activists for animal rights all over the place in d.c., but they would tend to be too many in one place and maybe not realy listened to.
i think i’m going to spend the afternoon putting together a letter, with web site addresses, and get it ready to send to the mother. it certainly can’t hurt.
These people are beyond sick…..what the hell is wrong with our so called court system?? If I were only a judge…..things would be very different!!
Whats wrong from my perspective is that more value is placed on a thing than on a living creature. Thats whats sad.
Just when you thought you have heard the worst thing you could have possibly heard about animal cruelty, bang, here’s another even worse. Slitting a puppies throat???? I have no words to describe my disgust.
i hope the puppy continues to improve (:
… again i repeat i can believe how people are capable of doing this kind of cruelty
dogs are here to support us to be our loyal companions not to be treated like crap… really they dont deserve it all what they come for to the world was love <3
this people deserve a punishment for what they did
Agree with all of you what I don’t understand is just how these sick people live life….. I’d be glad to do jsut what they did to those dogs to them you can call me sick but to me eye for an eye with people like these… lock them up and throw away thekey is right and then that is to good for them … I’d say death cuase next time it could be a person or a child that they do this to…
You go Katrina girl, I’m with you !
I don’t believe the judical system. I haven’t checked the laws lately but I think animals are considered property, and the owners are free to do whatever they want with it. The courts as overburdened as they are are reluctant to put people in jail for crimes like this. However if one of the dogs had attacked any one of the people involved they would have been put down because of the outcry of the public. Poetic Justice? I wonder how they can sleep at night.
They may be considered property but there are still laws against abuse, property or not!
Yes Sandra you are right, in most states animals are legally considered property. An owner can do whatever they want with their “property” even if that” property” is capable of feeling pain. Until the laws are changed and new legislation enacted, not much will happen to owners who abuse their animals, oops, I mean property.
They should do the Exact same thing to these 2 legged vermon that was done to those poor innocent dogs and the same bor all those other waste of space dressed in humae clothing!
Property or not there are laws against abuse!
The juditial system isn’t going to get serious about this kind of crime untill John Q Public stands up and starts apeaking out. Contact your Senators, your Congressmen, Yooour Representatives and tell them what you think. And keep it up untill something is done. Make phone calls. Don’t except anything short of a BIG change in the laws and punishment of these ITS that have the gall to say they are human beings. Ha Ha Ha
Three Ferndale-area residents will spend 90 days in jail after they were sentenced for first-degree animal cruelty in Whatcom County Superior Court Thursday, Feb. 5.
Judge Steven Mura issued identical sentences of 90 days in jail, $1,600 in restitution and five years without owning animals to Wopat and the Huffmans.
“If any of the three of you come back on a violation of your release or another cruelty charge, you’re going to get a year in jail or more prison time,” Mura said.
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/784635.html