Jun 25, 2026 By Mike Jones 3 min read

A woman is accused of keeping numerous dogs in deplorable conditions at her Hanover Township kennel, including one dog that froze to death over the winter and had its remains left to rot on the property.

Animal welfare officers received a tip on May 28 that 10 to 15 animals were living in poor conditions on the property at 95 Five Points Road in a secluded area of northern Washington County that “smelled like death,” according to court documents.

An officer with the Washington Area Humane Society and a state dog warden went to the property June 1 and met 42-year-old Kayla Marie Rigole, who told them she operated the kennel, court documents state.

While three dogs living in the house on the property appeared to be in good condition, there was no running water or electricity to the property after the pipes had burst during the cold winter, investigators said.

Rigole allegedly admitted that the kennels were in “bad” condition, and one dog had frozen to death in January since she couldn’t get a pellet stove to the property over the winter, according to court documents. Rigole told investigators she was unable to dispose of the carcass due to being unable to pick up the dead animal following a recent back injury.

Upon inspection, investigators said many of the water bowls lacked fresh water and were brown in color with debris at the bottom. There was also garbage strewn in the area and overturned dog bowls without food in them, investigators said.

The animal welfare officers were able to take 10 of the surviving 15 Yorkies from the property, along with the deceased dog’s carcass. The officers also found three German shepherd mixes in kennels. Many of the 18 surviving animals at the kennel had coats caked in mud and feces, according to court documents.

A return visit to the property a week later showed little improvement to the kennels, although the remaining dogs had been shaved and had access to food and clean water, investigators said. A subsequent inspection on June 15 showed some improvement to the kennels, but Rigole had not taken the remaining dogs to a veterinarian for treatment of whipworm as was requested by the officers, according to court documents.

The Washington Area Humane Society’s investigator charged Rigole on Tuesday with one felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals causing death, 37 charges of animal neglect and 19 misdemeanor counts each of animal cruelty. Rigole is awaiting arraignment before District Judge Gary Havelka.