The judge also decided that William and Tammie Gannon will pay $1,298, the amount it cost for a veterinarian to examine the dogs.

The Gannons, both 37, were each charged with confinement of animals without sufficient food, water or exercise in January after St. Augustine veterinarian Dr. Laura Williams determined the dogs to be in poor medical condition.

At Monday's hearing before County Court Judge Charles Tinlin, Assistant State Attorney Bryan Shorstein argued that the St. Augustine Humane Society should continue to keep the dogs because the Gannons haven't shown they could care for the dogs properly.

The Gannons' St. Augustine attorney, Sung Lee, argued that the Gannons never had a chance to obtain proper medical treatment for the dogs because they had recently been given ownership of them.

Authorities confiscated the dogs at 6875 C.R. 208, property of a vacant house where the dogs were found wet, matted and covered in urine and feces, living two or three to a cage.

''Their matted coats were impairing the abilities of some dogs to defecate by physical obstruction,'' Williams stated in her veterinarian report. ''Their faces were so matted that many could not see. Their extremely poor dental care will probably result in many of the dogs losing most, if not all, of their teeth.''

Williams further stated that the dental infections could have longterm health implications, such as kidney and heart disease.

Since Jan. 15, the dogs -- five Yorkshire Terriers, four poodles, four Lhasa Apso's, two Brussels Griffons, two Pomeranians and one Pug -- have been housed at the Humane Society.

''I would like to see these animals not go back,'' Humane Society Director Tina Walker told the judge at the hearing. ''I would like to see them spayed and neutered. I would like to see them become household pets.''

Walker said if the Humane Society got custody of the dogs, they would be adopted.

Walker said she knew the Gannons before the dogs were seized and had seen seemingly healthy dogs living at 8249 Kindred Spirit Lane, but had not seen the dogs found on County Road 208.

The dogs were found on property owned by Nancy Koeble, who owned the now-defunct salon Top Dog. When Koeble moved to Tampa to start a breeding business, the Gannons told the judge, they agreed to temporarily look after the dogs.

But when Koeble's plans fell through, Koeble transferred ownership of the dogs to the Gannons sometime around the end of last year or January of this year, the Gannons said.

At the time they became owners of the dogs, the dogs had eye problems, heart worms and other parasites. So, when the dogs were seized, the Gannons had not had enough time to obtain all the proper medical treatment for the dogs, according to the Gannons.

''When I became the owner of the dogs, I had planned to take them individually to the veterinarian,'' Tammie Gannon told the judge. ''They were being treated for many of the things.''

The Gannons said they lived 8 to 10 miles from the property where the dogs were found, and went to check on the dogs generally every day. But on the day the dogs were seized, a Monday, the dogs hadn't been attended to since Saturday because the Gannons were in Georgia.

The Gannons said they have bought acreage in Georgia, where they can care for up to 100 dogs. They currently have 40 dogs in Georgia, and animal officials there have determined them to be healthy, the Gannons said.

They are scheduled to appear in court on their criminal charges March 20. At the disposition of their case, Tinlin said he will revisit whether the Gannons should have custody of the dogs and decide if the Gannons should reimburse the Humane Society for the cost of keeping the dogs, which is $5 per day.

Shorstein said their punishment could be that they have to provide proper care for the dogs, who will be monitored on a weekly or monthly basis.

William and Tammie Gannon, both age 37, of 8249 Kindred Spirit Lane, will each be charged with confinement of animals without sufficient food, water or exercise, said Assistant State Attorney Bryan Shorstein.

On Tuesday, Shorstein was juggling the idea of charging the breeders with animal cruelty, also a first-degree misdemeanor, but which possibly carries a stiffer penalty. The maximum sentence for a first-degree misdemeanor is one year in jail or one year of probation.

Shorstein said Wednesday that he does not believe the animal cruelty charge is warranted in this case.

''I don't think they intended to be cruel to these animals,'' Shorstein said.

On Monday morning, the Sheriff's Office received a call about the dogs, spotted by a realty agent showing the vacant house at 6875 C.R. 208, where the dogs were being kept in seven kennels, deputies said.

Shorstein and other animal officials have repeatedly said the conditions in which the 18 dogs were found were similar to the conditions found last January at a puppy mill on Deerwood Lane.

In that case, 36-year-old Jack Ramon Boyd Jr. was taken to jail and charged with two counts of animal cruelty and one count of confinement of animals without sufficient food, water or exercise.

Boyd was sentenced to three years of probation, requiring him to do 200 hours of community service and abstain from owning domestic animals or livestock.

Shorstein said the Gannons were witnesses in the Boyd case, particularly Tammie, and that they did not cooperate entirely with prosecutors.

''She was one of our stronger witnesses in the Boyd case,'' Shorstein said. ''In fact, she was one of the main people that turned him in.''

Boyd was charged with two counts of animal cruelty because one of his poodles was found with an untreated, fractured front leg, hookworms and severe dental calculus. A Lhasa Apso had open sores all over its body.

On Wednesday morning, St. Augustine veterinarian Laura Williams examined the 18 dogs and took a Lhasa Apso and a Yorkshire terrier to her office for further treatment, said Tina Walker, director of the St. Augustine Humane Society.

''There was a condition that warranted them being taken back to the hospital. I wish I could say more,'' Walker said. ''It had something to do with their eyes. That's all I know.''

Walker said the veterinarian is expected to submit a report of the dogs' conditions today. The veterinarian had appointments Wednes-day afternoon and couldn't be reached for comment.

Shorstein said the Gannons were at one time co-workers with Boyd at Top Dog, a now-defunct pet salon on State Road 16. The salon was formerly owned by Nancy Koeble, the owner of the property where the 18 dogs were found, but not an owner of the dogs.

Koeble no longer lives in St. Augustine and will not be charged along with the Gannons.

Walker did not say much about Shorstein's decision not to file more serious charges against the Gannons, who will likely receive a notice to appear in court instead of being booked into jail.

''I would rather not comment on that until I talk to him,'' Walker said. ''I just have a lot of faith in him to do the right thing.''

The Gannons did not return messages left on their answering machine on Tuesday and Wednesday. They met with St. Augustine attorney Sung Lee Wednesday, but Lee declined to comment on the case.

Walker did not speculate on whether the dogs might be returned to the Gannons or if the Humane Society will seek custody. In the Boyd case, attorneys on both sides agreed to turn over the 44 dogs to the Humane Society.

A Sheriff's Office report said the dogs found Monday were wet, matted and covered in urine and feces, living two or three to a cage. The dogs also had a poor food and water supply, with food hoppers either empty or jammed.

Two dog breeders accused of neglecting 18 dogs on property off County Road 208 will have charges dropped against them, because they have agreed to pay $2,000 in vet bills and allow the St. Augustine Humane Society to keep the dogs.

William and Tammie Gannon, both 37, were each charged with confinement of animals without sufficient food, water or exercise in January after St. Augustine veterinarian Dr. Laura Williams determined the dogs to be in poor medical condition.

Authorities confiscated the dogs at 6875 C.R. 208 behind a vacant house. The dogs were found wet, matted and covered in urine and feces, living two or three to a cage.

Tina Walker, director of the Humane Society, said ideally she would have liked to see the Gannons go to trial. Assistant State Attorney Bryan Shorstein, who offered the deal, said the Gannons likely would have received probation at trial.

''Given the way the system works, this is a win for the Humane Society, and more than that, it was justice for these animals,'' Walker said.

Tammie Gannon declined to comment on the case when contacted by phone, but her St. Augustine attorney, Sung Lee, said the Gannons got stuck with the dogs and did not have a chance to obtain adequate treatment for them.

''I'm glad to see that the charges are being dismissed,'' Lee said. ''It's a deal that my clients aren't necessarily happy about, but they can live with it.''

The dogs were found on property owned by Nancy Koeble, who owned the now-defunct dog-grooming salon Top Dog. When Koeble moved to Tampa to start a breeding business, the Gannons agreed to look after the dogs temporarily, the Gannons told a judge at a March hearing.

But when Koeble's plans fell through, Koeble transferred ownership of the dogs to the Gannons sometime around the end of last year or January of this year, the Gannons said.

At the time they became owners of the dogs, the dogs had eye problems, heart worms and other parasites. So, when the dogs were seized, the Gannons had not had enough time to obtain all the proper medical treatment for the dogs, they said.

As part of the deal, the Gannons must discontinue dog breeding in Florida, but the Gannons said in March they intend to start a dog breeding business in Georgia.

Walker said the 18 dogs -- five Yorkshire Terriers, four poodles, four Lhasa Apso's, two Brussels Griffons, two Pomeranians and one Pug -- will be spayed and neutered and adopted out to good homes.