PLATTSBURGH — Former A Canine Gem animal rescue operator Hilary A. Davis appeared in Clinton County Court for resentencing Thursday after violating the terms of her probation twice this year.
Davis, 57, of Peru, was previously sentenced to five years probation in January of 2025 after facing charges of four counts of second-degree forgery, a Class D felony; two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a Class D felony; and 48 counts of failure to provide sustenance to animals, a Class A misdemeanor.
The charges stemmed from her mistreatment of dozens of dogs at her animal rescue facility in Beekmantown, which the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department seized 49 dogs from on Feb. 26, 2024, after receiving complaints about the condition of the animals at that location.
The Clinton County District Attorney’s Office said earlier this month that Davis violated the terms of her probation, which required her to remain within Clinton County, not own, harbor, or have custody or control over any animals other than a small, pre‑approved list of companion animals, provide proper care to those approved animals and not breed, sell, adopt out, or facilitate the adoption of any animal, in March and in August.
On March 14 of this year, Davis committed her first violation of probation by willfully leaving Clinton County and traveling to Vermont without permission, where she sold two dogs that were part of her designated companion‑animal list, the DA’s office said.
On March 26, a legally authorized search of Davis’s residence uncovered serious additional violations. In her home, investigators found all remaining approved companion animals, minus one that had died, and 12 additional dogs and three cats beyond what she was permitted to possess, the DA’s Office said.
Then, the DA’s Office said that between July 8 and Aug. 7, Davis rented a camper located in Essex County and again left the jurisdiction on multiple occasions without permission.
During this period, she is said to have left up to eight dogs inside the camper for up to 12 hours at a time, raising significant concerns about animal welfare and non‑compliance with probation restrictions, the DA’s Office said.
Davis has been in Clinton County Jail since Aug. 10 and appeared in court Thursday wearing a gray and white jail uniform and handcuffs on her hands and feet.
Davis was represented by Nicholas J. Evanovich III out of Albany. Evanovich entered a general denial in regards to Davis’s second parole violation Thursday and requested a hearing on the matter, which was scheduled for Sept. 11 at 9:30 a.m.
Davis was remanded to the Clinton County Jail until her next court appearance.
Behind Davis Thursday sat several people who showed up to the courthouse to show support for the animals that were hurt under Davis’s care. Among those in attendance was Elmore SPCA shelter manager Becki Moss-Patnode.
Moss-Patnode, who has attended Davis’s court appearances before, said she was overall frustrated that there wasn’t enough consequence for Davis initially that she felt like she could continue to get away with mistreating animals.
“It’s frustrating, especially after seeing the conditions of the animals from the original case that she’s continued to have animals, sell animals, and continue to seemingly warehouse animals,” Moss-Patnode said.
“Seeing the animals and the condition that they were in in the original case, just looking back on that and seeing them and everything that they went through is very emotional. It took an emotional toll on our staff going into that every day. I actually adopted one of the dogs from the case and seeing the trauma that he still exhibits daily is a very emotional thing for me.”
She said she’ll continue to attend her future court appearances. She said it’s important for community members to be there and show they stand against Davis’s actions.
“We have a lot of animal lovers in our area, and I think it’s really important for everybody to show their support and show that we don’t condone this type of behavior and anything to do with animal cruelty in our area,” Moss-Patnode said.
She emphasized the need to encourage representatives to take a better look at animal cruelty laws throughout New York.
“(The laws) are incredibly weak, and as I’ve said before, they’re very difficult to enforce,” she said.
“So I think that going forward, we really need to encourage our representatives to make harsher penalties and take animal cruelty more seriously in our state.”
Plattsburgh resident, Anne Lautenschuetz, was wearing a shirt at Davis’s court appearance that had a picture of a cat, dog and rabbit on it with the words “I Speak For Those Who Have No Voice,” surrounding them.
Lautenschuetz said she has had four rescue dogs in her life and added that the situation with Davis made her “heartsick.”
“When she got a slap on the wrist, I just couldn’t believe it,” she said.
“So I’m here today, because I think the judge needs to see how many community members (there are) and maybe, get even more for next time, to see how serious this is and to maybe this time take the charges really seriously and put her where she belongs.”
For Lautenschuetz, she said Davis belongs in jail for the maximum amount of time she can get.
“At least she would have food, water, and a bathroom, which they (dogs) didn’t have. So she belongs, as far as I’m concerned, in a cage. The same thing she did to those animals,” she said.
“But whatever the maximum sentence the judge can hand down, I think a lot of the community believes that that should be the punishment … I’m looking forward to the next court hearing to see what happens. And for now, we know that she’s not out walking the streets, and that’s good.
“The animals are safe for now.”