PIERCE COUNTY, Wash — Nearly 70 dogs were seized from a Pierce County home after a search warrant found the animals in dire conditions.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department (PCSD) said deputies and animal control officers executed a search warrant on July 18 at a home in Lakebay. The warrant came after a citizen reported that they had recently purchased a King Charles Spaniel puppy from an alleged breeder and found that the dog was sick and suffering from Parvovirus.
"One of the puppies had to was so sick that it was a immediately transported to a veterinarian clinic, where it died in route," said Carly Cappetto with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.
When deputies arrived, PCSD said they found a total of 68 dogs located in a double-wide trailer. The dogs were in cages all around and there were four to six female dogs with "litters of puppies" loose inside the trailer. PCSD said many of the dogs did not meet the minimum size standard and there was no water for the dogs.
According to the PCSD, one dog was immediately transported to a vet for emergency care but died while en route. Two other puppies were "humanely euthanized" after being too sick and testing positive for Parvovirus. Some of the other puppies tested positive for Parvovirus and were taken to an animal hospital for examination.
The alleged breeder is known to law enforcement. There have been three prior complaints that required removal of animals connected to the same person.
"This is actually the fourth time animals have been removed from this person," Cappetto said.
Animal cruelty charges were forwarded to a Pierce County prosecutor for review, PCSD said. The department said all of the animals were taken to a "boarding facility" for safe-keeping while the criminal investigation continues.
This comes just days after 11 puppies died after being found abandoned in an Olympia forest. A nearby animal rescue took them in and brought them to a vet clinic, but they all eventually passed away.
The dogs are now being cared for by the Cavalier Rescue Trust.