Woman With 51 Dogs and Cats Pleads Guilty to Cruelty : Maltreatment: The animals, six of them dead, were found in her filthy, flea-infested condominium.

A woman who let 51 dogs and cats live in their own filth inside her Aliso Viejo condominium pleaded guilty to animal cruelty on Wednesday and is not allowed to have pets for three years.

Luella Kretchman, 48, will be sentenced in South County Municipal Court on Aug. 31 after Judge Blair Barnette receives a report from probation officers.

Kretchman pleaded guilty to one charge of cruelty to animals, punishable by six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

However, public defender Tony Pond said he expects Kretchman to receive three years’ probation under conditions that could include psychological counseling and a stipulation that she not have pets.

The Aliso Viejo woman also may be required to compensate the county for housing and euthanizing several of the animals, Pond said.

“It’s a very sad case,” he said. “My client never had any intent to harm her animals. My concern is that it doesn’t happen again.”

Responding to complaints of an overpowering stench emanating from Kretchman’s three-bedroom condominium on the 23000 block of El Reposa, sheriff’s deputies on June 28 found the dogs and cats in the residence--six of them dead.

According to a sheriff’s report, the home was infested with fleas, and the floor was covered with animal excrement. The dogs and cats were taken to the Orange County Animal Shelter, where 13 of the animals were said to be in such poor health they had to be euthanized.

Kretchman said several others have since been put to sleep. Animal control officials, who were given permission to euthanize the dogs and cats or put them up for adoption, were not available for comment.

Outside the courtroom on Wednesday, Kretchman called the sheriff’s report greatly exaggerated.

“I (pleaded) guilty today to things I’m not guilty of,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “They said all of my cats were extremely emaciated. That’s not true. Only two were skinny because (they had medical problems) and were on medication.”

Her greatest fear is that all of her pets will be taken away permanently.

“When people have their children taken away (by the court), everyone works hard to reunite them,” Kretchman said. “Why can’t the same be done for me and my cats?”