After Dog Abuse Claims, Animal Activist Charged With Misdemeanors

VAN NUYS, CA — The founder of the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation now faces three misdemeanors related to malpractice, including practicing veterinary medicine without a license and false advertising.

According to the criminal complaint, Marc Teruo Ching is also charged with unlawfully processing, packing and preparing "horsemeat or any other meat product" for use as pet food without holding a valid license.

The 41 year old could face up to 18 months in county jail and a $4,500 fine if convicted.

The charges stem from a Los Angeles Times investigation where several veterinarians complained Ching convinced pet owners to give their animals his own items, instead of prescribed treatments for conditions such as cancer, heart failure and kidney disease. The accusations date back as far as several years and involve Ching's Petstaurant locations in Sherman Oaks and on the Westside.

In another Times article, Indonesian butchers accused Ching of paying them to torture and brutally murder several dogs, which Ching used as footage in campaigns against dog abuse. Ching called the tragic killings "day to day" routines at the slaughterhouses, although local Indonesian animal rights activists said they'd never heard of dogs being treated as poorly as they were in the video.

Ching vehemently denied all charges in a lengthy essay published on the Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation's website.

"It is hurtful to know that after all I have done - the 18 trips I took to Asia and everything I did - that people accuse me of staging videos and torture. While I was by no means perfect because I am human - I did everything I did to make a difference," he said. "With the hope that in the end, we could change things. I believe we did that. We were essential in bringing any reform that has been seen in the Dog and Cat Meat Trade to fruition. Essential in raising awareness. And our work, along with the work of many other groups, has changed lives for the better.

Ching is set to be arraigned at the Van Nuys courthouse on December 2.

City News Service and Kenan Draughorne contributed to this report.