Middleboro woman with a prior conviction sentenced to no jail time after deceased dogs found in freezer, 26 living animals located in deplorable conditions

A Middleboro woman has pleaded guilty in Wareham District Court to 26 charges of animal cruelty by custodian, subsequent offense, after allegedly neglecting dozens of animals at her home throughout 2024, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz announced.

Kimberly Savino, 44, entered guilty pleas in two related cases. She was sentenced to a one-year suspended sentence in the Massachusetts Department of Correction and placed on three years of probation in the first case. In the second case, she received an additional three years of probation, to run consecutively and ending in 2032. As conditions of her probation, Savino is permanently prohibited from owning or possessing any animals, must maintain mental health treatment, complete 100 hours of community service, and allow the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to conduct home check-ins to ensure the safety of two animals being cared for by family members on the property.

The charges stemmed from a lengthy investigation by the MSPCA-Angell that began in April 2024 when officers conducted a routine check on Savino’s horses and found them significantly underweight and fed with very poor-quality hay. Despite repeated advice from MSPCA officers, Savino failed to improve conditions and canceled or rescheduled at least nine appointments to have the horses weighed and assessed.

On October 18, 2024, MSPCA officers, working with Middleboro Police, executed search warrants and discovered 17 dogs, two cats, and a guinea pig living in deplorable conditions in the basement of her home. Six horses on the property were also found to be severely neglected.

Officers additionally located the remains of several deceased dogs stored in a freezer and plastic casket boxes in the garage. All 26 living animals were seized and taken into care at the MSPCA-Angell Animal Medical Center.

Savino had a prior animal cruelty conviction in Michigan in 2014.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Nicole Piacentini and investigated by the Middleboro Police Department and MSPCA law enforcement personnel.