Puppy mill probe expands; more dogs seized
Published 11:17 pm Thursday, January 22, 2009
Another 150 dogs were seized as part of an expanding animal cruelty investigation that began last week near Gold Bar.
On Wednesday, Skagit County officials raided a home and found dozens of dogs lacking food and water and covered in excrement, said Will Reichardt, a spokesman for the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.
Seven dead dogs were found in a crate.
There were roughly 400 dogs at the Mount Vernon-area kennel; 150 were taken as evidence.
Last week, Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies and animal control officers found 155 dogs in similar conditions at a Gold Bar-area home.
Several dead puppies were found in a freezer. The scent of urine and feces was so strong, it could be smelled outside the home.
Two properties in Snohomish also were searched but no additional animals were taken, Snohomish County animal control manager Vicki Lubrin said.
Officials believe some of the animals who lived at the Snohomish addresses may have been moved to the Skagit County kennels, Lubrin said.
Authorities are working across county lines to collect evidence.
“We’re sharing information, whatever we can,” she said.
The woman who owns the Skagit County kennel is the mother of the woman who owns the Snohomish property searched last week, Lubrin said.
Officials suspect the operation is an illegal breeding business known as a puppy mill.
No arrests have been made.
The kennels now being investigated have been on the radar of animal control officials for some time.
Snohomish County animal control officers investigated previous kennel complaints at the Snohomish location, Lubrin said.
Snohomish County Superior Court records show the Skagit County kennel operated for more than three years without a business license.
When the business owner filed a land-use permit, Skagit County officials opposed the operation, calling it a “puppy mill,” according to a hearing examiner report included in the court file.
The owner of the Skagit County property is appealing the hearing examiner’s decision in Snohomish County’s courts.
The dogs seized in Snohomish County have been cared for at the Everett Animal Shelter.
Groomers have been helping to clean up the dogs. Many of the animals needed to have their coats shaved to remove matted excrement, officials said.
After one dog was shaved, veterinarians discovered that it required immediate surgery, Lubrin said. Most of the dogs were doing much better, she said.
On Tuesday, the dogs’ owners were served with papers from Snohomish County requiring them to either surrender the animals to the county or post bond for each dog’s care, as required by state law.
If the animals aren’t claimed, the shelter may make them available for adoption.
The dogs seized in Skagit County now are being cared for by volunteers at the Skagit County Fairgrounds and in private homes, Reichardt said.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
