One of the most egregious dog breeders in the country is officially out of business. For good.

 

Derbe “Skip” Eckhart was convicted this week of animal cruelty for subjecting his animals to filth and feces and too little food, water and veterinary care at his Almost Heaven kennel in Upper Milford, Pennsylvania. It was your basic puppy mill, complete with utopian-sounding name.

 

The convictions mean Eckhart will never again be allowed to breed dogs. It may also land him in prison. He’ll find out May 18 whether he’ll do time. He was convicted of five misdemeanor charges, each of which could send him behind bars for up to a year.

 

Puppy mill opponents have targeted Eckhart for years but he always managed to stay in business. The six-day trial focused solely on the most recent charges. Prosecutors displayed for the jury dozens of pictures of dogs and cats mired in what Allentown Morning Call columnist Bill White called “a greasy brew of feces, urine and dirt” and visibly suffering from injuries and infections to their skin, eyes and mouths. Despite the evidence, Eckhart claimed not to see anything wrong with the picture.

 

Asked ”was it a perfect situation?” he testified, “I believe it was.”

 

 Fortunately, the judge and jury saw differently.