Couple Accused Of Abusing Nearly A Dozen Puppies In Sacramento County

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) — A couple is behind bars, accused of abusing nearly a dozen puppies in Sacramento County. And it isn't the first time they've been accused of abusing animals.

One of the suspects, John Gregory, was already on probation for animal abuse for an incident that happened several years ago.

"I'm not even supposed to be around dogs," he said during a jailhouse interview.

He says he and longtime girlfriend Robin Pratt are on probation for abusing and neglecting animals. In 2010, they had almost a dozen dogs at their home and in their car in San Jose.

"I already did the time for that, it was my fault," Gregory said. "OK, it was at our house."

But now they're facing similar charges, accused of having a bus filled with a litter of puppies parked in front of a 99-Cents Only store on Northgate Boulevard over the weekend.

"It was a mini charter bus, a big bus," Gregory said.

He says the bus broke down, so he went to get a new battery. When he returned, someone had called animal control saying they hear the unattended puppies yelping.

CBS13 found documents saying there wasn't enough food or water for the puppies to survive.

"I didn't abuse those puppies," Gregory said. "How can you prove I abused those puppies? I wasn't even around those puppies."

Both Gregory and Pratt are being held without bail and will be seeing a judge later this week.