An animal rescuer in Orange County believes the wheels of justice are turning too slowly in the case of a woman who was convicted of animal abuse.

Sylvia Panetta, who is in her 60s, was sentenced last year to four months behind bars, but she has only served a few days.

"All we wanted from day one was for this woman to have to serve some time and pay for what she did," says Shari Bach, who was among a group of rescuers that removed dozens of Rottweilers from Panetta's rural property, where the dogs were bred, in 2012.

According to Bach, the conditions were inhumane. "Dogs living outside in their feces. There were carcasses of rats all around. There were water bowls with green algae," she says. 

Bach says out of the five dogs that she personally helped to rescue, three died and two have bone cancer.

Panetta is appealing her conviction, which includes being the first person to be listed on Orange County's new animal-abuse registry. A judge put her sentence on hold during the process.

Panetta wouldn't comment about the case to News 12, nor would her attorney.

Bach wants Panetta to pay for what she did. "The woman has no regard for a living creature," says Bach.