A one-time favor for a friend resulted in two Ephrata farmers being sentenced to five years of probation for attempting to neuter a dog without being properly licensed.
The farmers — Matthew B. Martin, 46, and John Reiff Martin, 69 — pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of aggravated cruelty to animals before Lancaster County President Judge David Ashworth.
The Pennsylvania SPCA began investigating the Martins after an Ephrata resident brought her 2-year-old border collie/blue heeler mix, Hemi, to the farm on Hahnstown Road on April 27, 2023…