Attorney: Manorville woman innocent of cruelty charge

The head of a Manorville horse rescue operation illegally euthanized three dogs at the farm, killing at least one in the presence of two children, Suffolk authorities said Thursday.

Mona Kanciper, 48, choked one dog to death when she was unable to kill the animal with euthanasia drugs, said Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Kanciper pleaded not guilty to three counts of felony aggravated cruelty to animals and two counts of misdemeanor child endangerment at her arraignment Wednesday before County Court Judge William Condon in Suffolk County Court. She was released without bail and is due back in court Sept. 30.

Kanciper is president of New York Horse Rescue, at 15 South St., in Manorville, according to the organization's website.

Her attorney, Paul Gianelli of Central Islip, said Kanciper was "disappointed" to learn she had been indicted by a Suffolk grand jury.

"She and I will vigorously investigate these untrue allegations," Gianelli told Newsday Thursday. "She's innocent, and she's spent the better part of her adult life dedicated to the care and safety of horses and other animals. We're confident that she will be completely vindicated when the facts come out." He declined further comment.

Kanciper killed three dogs - family pets named Dude, Greta and Cooper - before SPCA officials began investigating the farm last December, Gross said. Two minors - not Kanciper's children - were present when at least one of the dogs was killed, he said. The other two dogs were allegedly killed by Kanciper using euthanasia drugs. It is illegal to administer the drugs without a license, which Kanciper did not have, Gross said.

The SPCA began its investigation after receiving complaints from witnesses, he said.

Gross said a search of Kanciper's home uncovered the euthanasia drugs and syringes.

The New York Horse Rescue website says the farm rehabilitates thoroughbred race horses. It was founded by Kanciper's late husband, Dr. Judson L. Butler, the website says.

Butler died Dec. 6, 2009, after he suffered a fractured cervical vertebrae when he was injured by a loose horse while working as a veterinarian at Belmont Park racetrack, the website says.