Pet Mania owner fined

Ryan Carter

CIVIC CENTER -- The owner of a Burbank pet shop was found guilty

Tuesday of one misdemeanor count of not providing adequate water to the

animals she had in her care.

Simone Wunscher, 37, owner of Pet Mania in the 300 block of North Pass

Avenue, was ordered by Burbank Superior Court Commissioner Dennis

Shanklin to pay a $135 fine.

Shanklin dropped five other charges previously filed against Wunscher,

that included not providing adequate exercise for the animals in her care

as well as not having adequate space for animals.

“I’m happy about this, but I would have like to have had all of [the

charges] dropped,” Wunscher said.

Following testimony given by Burbank Animal Shelter’s Animal Control

Officer Danny Sheflin, who had intially cited Wunscher June 28, and

testimony from Wunscher and Pet Mania manager Pamela Stanczyk, Shanklin

found that water had not been adequately supplied to the animals.

“I’m convinced the water-delivery system was a problem, and the code

says that water must be available at all times,” Shanklin said.

Responding to a call in June from a concerned citizen that the animals

were not properly taken care of, Sheflin allegedly found puppies without

water and cats with runny eyes and noses, he testified.