"Ever since the vice president got his dog, she has been under a magnifying glass," said Conrad. "The scrutiny she has been under is ridiculous."
State dog-law officials dismissed that suggestion, pointing out that Brown's problems predated Biden's purchase in December 2008.
Sue West, director of the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, said the state was waiting for the conclusion of Monday's hearing before deciding what other action to take against JoLindy's regarding inspections performed in March and May.
According to those reports, wardens found "sharp metal, chewed wood and sharp chewed edgings" in and around the facility that could injure dogs, inadequate water supplies, and "several dead, decomposing rats" on the grounds.
During the hearing, David McKenzie, the assistant counsel for the bureau, presented testimony and photos from Joe Loughlin, the dog warden.
Loughlin said he observed that the raw chicken fed to the dogs "was mixed in with dog feces" and that one dog had blood running down its mouth that got in its water bowl.
Gauger testified that the concrete area where he throws the dogs' food is pressure-washed daily, a comment that prompted Conrad to argue that unless Loughlin visited the kennel the day before or the day after the Nov. 4 inspection, he could not prove a violation occurred.
That assertion and others prompted both lawyers and the judge to search for the relevant regulations, a task that proved challenging, since one section referred readers to another section. At one point, the judge asked McKenzie if he wanted a sticky-note to facilitate flipping from one section to another.
Brown testified that she and her husband were doing their best to comply with the dog regulations that went into effect in October 2009.
"Everything you do isn't good enough," she said.
