198 dogs seized from Mercer Co. woman charged with animal neglect to be adopted out

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - The 198 dogs seized from a Mercer County woman for neglect are going to be adopted out.

According to Mercer County Animal Control, the dogs seized after Karen Plambeck was charged with animal cruelty were taken to Collie rescue organizations during this week. Where the dogs will be fostered and adopted out.

In August, Karen Plambeck was arrested after law enforcement seized 198 dogs from her home. Many of them were sick and emaciated from lack of access to food and water, according to court documents.

A couple of weeks later, Plambeck was arrested on a charge of unlawful communication with a witness.

According to court records, the Mercer County Animal Control Department received a complaint from a woman who said some of her collies had been sold to a person in South Carolina and were supposed to be transported by Plambeck.

The collies never made it to the intended owner and the woman was concerned about the welfare of her collies.

According to the criminal information filed in the new case, Plambeck on or around Aug. 20 told a witness that if she “dropped the charges” against her she would tell her where her missing dogs were located.

Since the dogs were seized from Plambeck, they have been living at Mercer County Animal Control getting checked out by local veterinarians. The dogs cannot be adopted out until they are permanently forfeited from Plambeck. The Mercer County State’s Attorney has filed for that petition.

If convicted, Plambeck could spend one to three years in prison on the animal abuse charges and two to five years for tampering with a witness.

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