Boone County dog breeder charged with animal abuse pleads not guilty, seeks no-bond release
Olivia Hayes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Boone County dog breeder charged with several counts of animal abuse is asking a judge to let her out of jail without bond.
Melissa Sanders, 26, of Columbia, faced a Boone County judge for the first time Monday. She pleaded not guilty and had a bond hearing set for 1 p.m. Thursday.
If a bond is necessary, her attorney wrote in a court filing, it should be “reasonable.”
Sanders has been charged with three counts of felony animal abuse and 15 counts of misdemeanor animal abuse. She remains at the Boone County Jail without bond.
Sanders owns Magnum Opus German Shepherds. Animal control, assisted by Boone County sheriff’s deputies, found 17 living but severely malnourished dogs, with two on the brink of death, according to court documents. Five “intact” dead dogs were found in black garbage bags along with about a dozen dog skulls.
Authorities also found four dead dogs outside the building.
Animal Control said it was called to the business after two different dog owners brought their dead dogs to a veterinarian for an autopsy after they died in Sanders care. The autopsy determined one dog died from strangulation and the other from starvation. Both dogs were boarded at the business at the time of its death, according to court documents.
Animal control was previously called to the business for reports of dogs dying in their care. Animal control officers had spoken to Sanders in the past about doing a walkthrough of the residence, but she was hesitant, court documents say.
Head of Boone County Animal Control Kevin Meyers tells ABC 17 News the previous visits were in June and September 2025. During those visits Meyers said the responding officer found no signs of animal abuse.
He said without hard visible evidence their power to act can be limited.
“We can approach the owner, let them know the complaint that we received and ask to see the animals in their living conditions,” Meyers said. “It’s totally up to them if they allow us in to do that, or what they allow us to see. By law, we can’t make them let us in without a warrant to search the property.”
Breeders have to register with the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Sanders was registered with the department as a ‘hobby or show breeder’. A registered property can only be checked if a complaint is filed. MoDAG said it has no history of Sanders property being inspected.
A disposition hearing will be held next Wednesday where Sander’s lawyers will argue why the dogs should be returned to her custody. Animal control will argue to the judge why the animals should be relinquished to the Central Missouri Humane Society for them to work out reconnecting the animals with their owners.