A puppy rescued from “inhumane conditions” in a backyard barn in Ontario was adopted Thursday, and humane society officials are looking to find homes for the other 32 rescued pups, said Beth Les with the Inland Valley Humane Society and SPCA.
An anonymous tip earlier in the week alerted the humane society to the puppy mill at a home in the 400 block of Maple Street, Les said.
Two people were implicated in the puppy mill – the homeowner and a tenant who lived in the back of the property, Les said, adding that they were forward about giving up information about their breeding – a level of compliance she does not usually receive.
“When we got there, we were allowed to go see the dogs,” Les said.
The dogs, ranging in age from 3 weeks to 5 years, were held in collapsible kennels in a dark, unventilated barn, Les said.
In some cases, multiple dogs shared a small kennel (video below), said Les, who was one of four humane society agents in charge of removing the pups from their home Wednesday.
They were found standing in their own urine and feces, their water dishes filthy or empty, and many of them had matted fur, fleas and ticks, Les said.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
“The food they were getting was expired,” Les said. “It was going to be thrown out anyway, so (the owners) got it for free.”
Les said busts like this don’t happen often enough.
“We know they’re out there, but they’re hard to find,” Les said.
Puppy mill proprietors will often meet their customers at a neutral location – like a gas station or street corner, Les said, adding that false stories coupled with stealth operations compound the difficulty.
The impromptu kennel was housed in the “very back of the property” and held well over the number of dogs allowed in Ontario, which grants each household three.
The owners, now charged with cruelty to animals, told Les they sold their dog at a starting price of $100 and advertised in the PennySaver, Recycler and local newspapers.
While the Humane Society has the authority to arrest, Les said the owners were not taken into custody because although the animals were living in “horrible conditions,” none of them had to be euthanized.
Still, the owners are due in court on June 27, and could face up to 5 years’ probation, during which they would not be allowed to own animals and would be subject to search and seizure from human society officials.
All 33 dogs were signed over to the humane society, which has been treating, cleaning and grooming them.
“They’re different, and you can tell in their looks and their behavior,” Les said. “It’s as if they got a new little makeover.”
There are 32 dogs – Yorkshire terriers, poodles, Chihuahuas, Maltese, basset hounds, Shih Tzus and a husky – still available for adoption.
Anyone interested can click here to visit their website and contact their adoption center.
Follow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment: iPhone/iPad App | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | RSS | Text Alerts | Email Alerts
