A Thor man pleaded guilty to animal neglect with serious injury for starving and mistreating 29 German shepherd dogs. But a judge ruled that he is still allowed to own two dogs.

David Kelly Collan, 72, pleaded guilty in Webster County District Court Monday to misdemeanor animal neglect.

District Associate Court Judge Joseph Tofilon suspended a 90-day jail term and also suspended an $855 fine and surcharge, while ordering Collan to pay restitution of $100 for court costs and attorney’s fees.

Collan was also placed on informal probation for one year to the Webster County sheriff.

Despite the guilty plea, Tofilon also ruled that Collan be allowed to own two dogs. Collan was previously prohibited from owning dogs by District Court Judge Derek Johnson. In fact, Collan recently pleaded guilty to two counts of contempt for being found in possession of a large white dog. The court order issued on Monday stated that Collan must register the dogs with animal control and that animal control could inspect the dogs at any time. However, the order did not include any rulings on whether Collan would be required to provide veterinary care or whether he would be allowed to breed the two dogs.

The 29 German shepherds seized from his rural Webster County property in August 2024 were part of a breeding farm that Collan operated for more than 20 years. State officials testified in court last year that the dogs in Collan’s possession did not have proper veterinary care or food and water. Many of the dogs had low body composition scores and were removed to multiple agencies including the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Moffitt Animal Shelter, Pups & Paws Pound and Webster County Animal Protection. One of the dogs died and another was found to have an untreated neurological issue. Most of the dogs have been adopted after being treated by veterinarians and rehabilitated.

“I was taught that all animals deserve the five freedoms,” said Webster County Animal Control owner and operator Kaila Benson, who led the investigation into the 29 German shepherd dogs. “Freedom from hunger, thirst, and malnutrition; freedom from discomfort due to environment; freedom to express normal behavior for the species; freedom from pain, injury, and disease; and freedom from fear and distress. While we are always hoping our courts are going to hold people accountable at the highest level possible, our laws in Iowa are not designed to keep our animals protected to the extent that we would like to see.”

“Webster County Animal Protection keeps it in the forefront of our minds that our job is to be a voice and to protect those that cannot protect themselves,” said Benson. “We are going to continue pushing forward where we need to, collecting evidence when we need to and we will not discontinue our effort to ensure the animals in our county are experiencing all of the freedoms they deserve.”