DOVER-FOXCROFT (AP) – A Dover-Foxcroft man who faces charges of animal cruelty was weighing an appeal of a court ruling that upheld the state’s seizure of 92 English springer spaniels from his home.

The judge denied motions by Mark Hagelin, who claimed that the warrant used by animal welfare agents to search the home where he lives with his parents was illegal, that he was denied due process and that his privacy was violated.

The dogs were described at the time of the April seizure as living without food and water in unsanitary conditions amid fecal matter and urine both inside and outside the house. It took nine hours for 10 agents, veterinarians and volunteers to catch and inventory the dogs and transport them to shelters.

In his seven-page decision Thursday, Judge Kevin Stitham said the 92 dogs and their offspring, which now number 21, are forfeited to the state and are to be sold.

Hagelin, 45, has 21 days to appeal Stitham’s ruling. Criminal charges of animal cruelty against him and his father, Burton Hagelin Sr., 73, are expected to be heard in August.

The decision capped a civil case that played out over five days.

During the course of the case, the younger Hagelin dismissed his attorney and then represented himself.

Animal welfare officials presented a video to support their claim that conditions at the home were deplorable. Many of the dogs suffered from various types of worms and ear mites and were malnourished, witnesses said.

Hagelin said he had not had an opportunity to clean the home on the day of the search, and the conditions that the agents found there were not indicative of his abilities as a kennel operator.

“These people have never tried to work with me… You don’t work with someone who comes on to your property and is rude to you. They deliberately put us in this type of situation,” he said.

The dogs are now at five Maine shelters, where the state is paying about $400 a day to board and feed them.

Animal Welfare Director Norma Worley said the losses will be recouped when the dogs are sold, but she denied Hagelin’s claim that the state stands to profit from the seizure.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

AP-ES-06-24-05 0919EDT