Rescue owner guilty of neglect after 37 animals taken from Pontiac home

Rescue owner guilty of neglect after 37 animals taken from Pontiac home

Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press

Fri, December 19, 2025 at 1:28 PM UTC

3 min read

The owner of TriCounty Dog Rescue was convicted by a jury of neglecting animals after 37 dogs and cats were rescued from what Oakland County officials said were severe, unsanitary conditions at a Pontiac home in September 2024.

Karmen Schooly, 48, was found guilty Dec. 17 of failure to provide adequate care to 25 or more animals, a third-degree felony, in Oakland County Circuit Court, according to a release from the county Dec. 18.

The court revoked Schooly's bond and ordered her held in the county jail pending sentencing Jan. 21. The felony is punishable by up to seven years in prison, according to the release.

An email seeking comment was sent to Schooly's attorney Dec. 18. Schooly's trial began Dec. 16, according to online circuit court records.

An image taken from an Oakland County Sheriff's Officer shows several dogs in cages. The dogs were removed from the house on Friday by Oakland County officials during an investigation into animal neglect charges.

County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said the verdict holds Schooly "accountable and hopefully prevents her from abusing more animals in the future."

Animal control officers removed 37 dogs and cats from the home and took them to the county animal shelter and pet adoption center, where they received veterinary care. One cat was euthanized. The remaining animals were treated, bathed and cared for by shelter staff.

The officers responded to a welfare check at a residence in the 900 block of Argyle Street on Sept. 27, 2024, after a referral from Pontiac code enforcement officers. They and sheriff deputies found the animals living in unsanitary conditions. Twenty-nine dogs and eight cats were removed.

Schooly was the homeowner and the animals' caretaker. She relinquished ownership of the animals, which were placed under the care of animal control and later made available for adoption. She retained ownership of four dogs, which remain at the shelter pending final court disposition, according to the release.

In an email in 2024 after she was charged, Schooly stated all the dogs were in good condition, adding: "I go out of my way to care for them."

"They seized my registered service dog and emotional support animals. They are holding the rescue dogs and not putting them up for adoption when release papers were signed on majority of them. How is that fair for the dogs?" she stated in the email. "I have no control over them not getting adopted. Just like Oakland (C)ounty (A)nimal (C)ontrol has dogs that have been there 1-2 years. If their adoption rate is low they should understand that mine would be low too."

Schooly also faced charges in Macomb County, where six dogs were in legal limbo in 2024 and in the care of Macomb County Animal Control for nearly a year.

The puppies initially came from Schooly's rescue. They were sick with parvo, a highly contagious disease, and surrendered by a foster person in Macomb County after they became sick and the rescue wouldn't take them back. They eventually were adopted in 2024.

Schooly previously told the Free Press the puppies were healthy when the foster brought them to animal control, but "weren't getting adopted quick enough."

She previously called the charges in Macomb County "ridiculous."

The Macomb County case was dismissed in August after the court indicated the venue was proper in Oakland County. Online Macomb County Circuit Court records indicated the prosecutor could seek venue in Oakland County.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X: @challreporter.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: TriCounty Dog Rescue owner guilty of neglecting animals at Pontiac home

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