Swampscott man charged with killing puppies

CHELSEA – A Swampscott man who runs a Lynn kennel was arraigned in Chelsea District Court Tuesday in the killing of two “designer” dogs whose bodies were found behind a Revere gas station last November.Jason Gentry, 35, was arraigned on two counts each of malicious killing of an animal and animal cruelty. It is the second time within a week Gentry has faced charges of animal abuse. Last week, his kennel, Alpha Canine Performance of Sanderson Avenue, Lynn, was raided by Lynn Police, who found five poorly cared-for dogs and “deplorable conditions,” said Carrie Kimball-Monahan of the Essex County District Attorney?s office.As a result of the investigation, Gentry was arrested last Tuesday and arraigned a day later on 10 counts of animal cruelty and one count of operating an unlicensed kennel. He posted $500 bail on the Lynn charges and was ordered to stay away from any witnesses, and not to have any ownership, possession or control over any animals.At the request of Assistant Suffolk County District Attorney Vincent DeMore, Gentry?s bail on the Revere charges was set at $1,000.A second man has been taken into custody on a warrant issued in connection with the killing of the dogs, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said. Dominick Donovan, 51, of Long Beach, N.Y., a dog trainer and handler, has been taken into custody in New York and faces arraignment at a later date.DeMore told the court that the bodies of two dogs were discovered in a trash bag behind a Revere gas station last Nov. 22. A necropsy performed by the Animal Rescue League of Boston determined that the dogs – one female and one male – were both approximately 20 weeks old and had been in good bodily condition when they were killed.The animals were determined to be Donovan Pinschers – a “designer dog” breed created by Donovan and named after him.During the course of their investigation, Revere Police detectives learned that at the time of their deaths, both dogs had been in Gentry?s care at the Alpha Canine Performance kennel. Donovan arrived at the location in November to transport the animals back to New York, Conley?s office said.However, Gentry made statements indicating that on Nov. 2, the dogs were hung at the facility until they stopped breathing because they failed to meet the standards for the breed, prosecutors said.He returns to court Sept. 3, and will be back in Lynn court Aug. 19 on the kennel charges.