A case of animal cruelty made waves this year when the charges were filed and when the case was tossed out of District Court.

On March 22, Beaufort County Animal Control confiscated 27 dogs from the home of Julianne Harris, owner of Out of the Woods Rescue in Blounts Creek. Anonymous sources claimed to animal control that Harris not only had more than 100 malnourished dogs on her property, but had in her possession two stolen dogs, as well. It was initially termed a “hoarding” case, and Harris was charged with larceny of the two dogs and 27 counts of animal cruelty for not 100, but 27, dogs on her property.

“Yes, I had a lot of dogs. No one wanted to reduce the numbers more than I did. However, I am experienced and trained in rescue. I have a large property with covered, fenced kennels and play areas. I also have wonderful volunteers who worked with the dogs,” Harris wrote in a statement at the time.

Harris said from the first she had not stolen any animals, instead, people had called her about the dogs in question, which had been running free for several weeks and were malnourished when she picked them up for rescue. She also maintained all dogs on her property were well-cared for, had had veterinary care and were exercised regularly, almost all at her own expense and effort.

All 27 dogs landed in the Betsy Bailey Animal Control Facility, and all were rescued or adopted. Shortly after, Second Judicial District Attorney Seth Edwards said the accusation of larceny of the two dogs was unfounded. Those dogs were ultimately reunited with their original owner.

In August, the animal cruelty case against Harris made it to District Court, where Judge Darrell B. Cayton Jr. found there wasn’t probable cause to search Harris’ property when the search warrant was issued in March: the anonymous sources were problematic and contained false information, and a report by a Beaufort County Animal Control officer made after a visit earlier in the day the warrant was issued had no comment on the physical state of the 12 dogs he observed on the premises. On the stand, the officer only commented on the “unkempt” nature of Harris’ home, a comment with which Harris agreed.

“I think what’s really key is that you have an officer going on the property and doesn’t say a thing about the dogs’ conditions except they’re healthy,” Les Robinson, Harris’ attorney, said during the hearing. “Here’s a person who knows what dogs look like when they’re being mistreated. It’s different if you saw some things, but here, there’s not a word about them being mistreated.”

“I loved every one of those dogs. I took good care of them. I might not have taken such good care of myself, but the condition of the dogs kind of speaks for itself,” Harris said. “My house was a mess at the time, and it’s embarrassing for me. My house was a cluttered mess, but the dogs’ crates were clean. I had three different play areas outside, and they would play in groups.”

Harris said she was glad to be vindicated by the judge’s decision, but she was getting out of the rescue business for good.

“The biggest thing for me that I want people to know is that I’ve never hurt an animal in my life. I’ve spent my life’s savings on these dogs that were abandoned by other people. All I wanted all along was these dogs to have a home, but I’m not going to dump them at the shelter,” Harris said. “After going through this — it has absolutely killed me. … I put too much time and put my heart into it, and I just can’t do it anymore.”