Back in March, we reported that an Oregon resident was under investigation for potentially feeding frozen puppies to her pet snakes. Well, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) has provided an update on the case, and it’s worse than we thought.
This week, CCSO shared on Facebook that a Columbia County Grand Jury indicted the suspect, Kathryn Sullivan, for “38 counts of felony Aggravated Animal Abuse.” An investigation that began in March 2024 found that Sullivan suffocated and froze 19 newborn puppies to death for the purpose of feeding them to her pet snakes.
A county building inspector first reported unlawful activity at Sullivan’s Goble, Oregon residence, prompting an investigation from animal control. CCSO says Columbia County Animal Control Deputy Roger Kadell took over and found “corroborating evidence.” He submitted for a search warrant of the property.
A team of people including animal-control personnel, CCSO deputies, a biologist with the Oregon State Fish and Game, Oregon State Police Game Troopers, and a Columbia County Deputy District Attorney searched the property and found 19 dead, frozen puppies. The team took the puppies to the Oregon Humane Forensic Investigations Unit in Portland for a necropsy examination. This provided the evidence officials needed to understand how the animals had died.
During the search of Sullivan’s property, officials also found one “prohibited snake” and two “restricted snakes.” They removed the prohibited snake and will require that Sullivan get a permit for the restricted snakes.
Puppies Are Not Food for Pet Snakes
Wild snakes hunt and eat other animals, including birds, insects, and small mammals. However, there is absolutely no reason a snake owner should be killing and freezing animals to feed their snakes. Pet stores sell frozen rodents that’ll keep snakes perfectly happy and healthy in human care.