Dog breeder with several animal abuse charges has pretrial conference set for Thursday

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former Boone County dog breeder accused of animal abuse appeared in court on Monday.

Melissa Sanders, 26, of Columbia, is charged with 13 counts of felony animal abuse and one count of misdemeanor animal abuse. She is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. She previously faced 29 felony counts of animal abuse.

Sanders appeared in court by video from the jail, according to court filings. She waived a formal arraignment on Monday and pleaded not guilty again.

A pretrial conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday and she was ordered to be transported to the courthouse.

Sanders ran Magnum Opus German Shepherds and a number of dead dogs, including a dozen dog skulls, were found at the property of the business when law enforcement served a search warrant in 2025, according to court documents in previous reporting. Several malnourished dogs were also found at the property.

Court documents say at least two living dogs that were found were on the brink of death.