RICHLAND CENTER, Wis. -- The owner of a shelter that operated as a sanctuary for lost and found animals in Richland County made her initial court appearance Wednesday on charges of mistreating animals.

SLIDESHOW: Images Of Dogs Removed From Richland County Shelter | READ: Read Richland County Criminal Complaint (PDF Format)

Jennifer Petkus, owner of the Thyme and Sage Ranch in Cazenovia, is facing 16 misdemeanor charges, including 10 counts of intentionally mistreating animals at the shelter. She hasn't been charged with any felonies.

Petkus has been charged with five counts of improper disposal of an animal carcass, and one count of intentionally providing improper shelter and sanitation for animals.

Signature bond for Petkus was set at $10,000 Wednesday. As a condition of the bond, Petkus is required to remain off her property while the investigation continues, and once she returns, she is ordered not to interfere or harass anyone involved in the ongoing investigation.

Any animals Petkus is allowed to keep must be provided with proper care per the bond conditions, WISC-TV reported.

More than 300 dogs were seized from the shelter Tuesday after the Richland County Sheriff's Department executed a search warrant for Thyme and Sage Ranch.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said many of the dogs suffered from ailments such as severely matted fur, skin infections and open wounds, and were housed in poor conditions.

The dogs have been transferred to the Dane County Humane Society, which is evaluating them and providing emergency shelter tents behind its facility in Madison.

According to the criminal complaint, investigators found rotting animal carcasses and injured and mistreated animals at the Thyme and Sage Ranch. The complaint said Petkus did not want a ram with a broken leg and that was so ill it couldn't lift its head to be euthanized by a veterinarian who suggested it.

The complaint alleges that conditions were so bad that many animals were living in cages that appeared to have never been cleaned, and there was only additional newspaper or hay added on top of what was already soiled.

"I think it's a case where there's certainly more to be told than what would appear on first impressions," said Jay Englund, an attorney representing Petkus.

"(There's) a lot more (to be told)," Petkus said. "(I have) no comment at this time, but we'll have comments."

Penny Evans, who purchased a dog at the Thyme and Sage Ranch, said she isn't surprised by the allegations made in the complaint against Petkus. Evans said her dog Kasey died just days after coming home from the Thyme and Sage Ranch.

"She slept a lot, and I thought, 'She's just tired; she's a puppy,'" Evans said. "It was hard, and people can say, 'You only had a few days.' I had her in my mind for over a month before I brought her home."

Evans said she believes Petkus had asked her to take her new pet home earlier than expected because Petkus knew the animal was sick.

"I think she knew Kasey was sick, and she was worried she wouldn't be able to sell this dog. It's not about adoption, it's about selling dogs," Evans said.

No matter what happens in Petkus' case, Evans is vowing to fight a different kind of legal battle to make sure her pet didn't die in vain.

"In truth, I'm not done until there's laws in the state of Wisconsin that are passed, because Illinois and Wisconsin are two of the states that don't have any laws that govern how rescue (shelters) should be conducting their business," Evans said.

Petkus and her attorney said they plan to plead not guilty on all charges. They said many of the very sick animals had recently been rescued and hadn't been under Petkus' case for long.

Petkus is out on bond. She is due back in court on May 29.

As of Wednesday night, all 373 animals have been recovered from the ranch, including the animals that have died, WISC-TV reported.

Charges Leave Customers Of Shelter With Questions

Many customers of the Thyme and Sage Ranch, some with healthy animals and some with dogs that needed intensive care, said they are now wondering what to do after charges were filed against the ranch's owner.

A number of people shared varying stories with WISC-TV Wednesday about their experiences with the Thyme and Sage Ranch, but the common theme was that they have questions and information they want to share.

Emily Tupper bought her pug Roxy about four months ago. She said both she and her boyfriend were skeptical of the ranch's arrangement and bought a dog they were informed was mildly ill to get her out of the kennel.

"She's been pretty sick since we've had her, but she's doing really well for where she came from anyway," Tupper said. "Going out there, we didn't know (the dog) was sick. (Petkus) told us the dog was sick, and then we thought we should get her out of here. And then we treated her, but we definitely did not expect her to be sick this much. She's been an expensive puppy."

Rita Garrison said she knowingly bought three dogs with major health issues with the belief she was helping with the Thyme and Sage Ranch rescue process.

"We knew exactly what we were getting when we went out there, that we were getting compromised dogs," Garrison said. "There was nothing covered up. It was extremely obvious and Jennifer (Petkus) made no attempts to cover that up. She told us, 'I got them from puppy mills and they're a mess.' There could be another side of the story that we're not aware of, but this is a side where this dog would have been put to sleep by anybody else."

Judy Martinson, of Mount Horeb, got her dog Polly from the ranch. Martinson said she knew something wasn't right when two days after taking Polly home, the dog started getting sick.

The dog eventually recovered, but other animals from the ranch haven't. Martinson said a friend's dog died just days after it was brought home from the ranch.

Martinson said neither she nor her friend was offered any compensation for medical expenses for the dogs.

Martinson said her experience with the ranch drove her to take action.

"And then knowing that (the animals are) being put in homes of people who just want to love those animals -- it's just heartbreaking when something happens to them," Martinson said.

Martinson started working with a group in the last few months in an effort to get the Thyme and Sage Ranch shut down. That group worked with ASPCA and the Humane Society, compiling reports about customers' experiences.

If people have information, questions or concerns regarding the Thyme and Sage Ranch, they should contact the Richland County Sheriff's Department's chief deputy at 608-647-2106 or by e-mail at Hougant@co.richland.wi.us.

A relief fund has been set up for the rescued animals. Donations to offset medical costs can be sent to:

Dane County Humane Society
ATTN: Rescue Relief Fund
5132 Voges Road
Madison, WI 53718

For more information, visit this Web site.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.