Last summer, we told you about an East Dublin dog breeder named Tonya Lewis and her business, Tonya's Tiny Companions. In August 2016, Lewis was charged with 20 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. Now, the United States Humane Society put her on their 2017 list called 'The Horrible Hundred.' Lewis says those allegations are unfair and untrue. She invited our Yvonne Thomas to see her dogs and share her side of the story.
It's been a ‘ruff’ year for Tonya Lewis and her tiny companions. Last summer, three women posted pictures on a Facebook page called Boycott Tonya's Tiny Companions, and claimed that Lewis' dogs were being abused.
Yvonne Thomas asked, “Do you believe that there was ever any problems on your property?” Lewis replied, “No. No, I do not.” A few months later, a Laurens County judge charged her with 20 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. “I've been doing this for almost 13 years. I've been state licensed and by no means am I perfect, but I take care of my dogs,” said Lewis.
The allegations keep coming. This spring, The United States Humane Society put her on their list, called 'The Horrible Hundred.' “I said, 'You have got to be kidding me,'” said Lewis.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture gave her 30 days to make some changes to her property. “It's just something that had to be done. Basically they're modifications,” said Lewis.
Now, each dog has its own cage, except females that are nursing. Lewis says she also laid concrete underneath the dogs' outdoor areas to keep them from digging holes.
As for her Laurens County court case, Lewis says her charges are still pending. “I hope that whenever that time comes that the charges will be dropped and it will be expunged off my record.”
But for now, Lewis says she'll do what she's always done. “That's take care of me and my family and my dogs.” Even though her case in court is still pending, Lewis says she is still selling dogs. We reached out the Georgia Department of Agriculture for comment and have not received a response yet.