GIG HARBOR — Officers found 68 dogs in a Lakebay home last month, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
Many of the animals were sick and kept in small cages without water when officers arrived with a search warrant July 18, and three later died, the agency posted on Facebook Tuesday.
The rescued dogs went to The American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Rescue Trust and most have been placed in foster care homes, Pierce County Sheriff’s Sgt. Darren Moss told The News Tribune Tuesday.
He said three female dogs with litters of puppies and four female dogs who were pregnant were found. Some of the sick dogs had to go into isolation to be monitored, and 48 of the dogs had to be shaved due to the condition of their fur, Moss said.
“We moved with the search warrant as soon as we got the complaint because the offender had already had three previous animal cases where we had to remove animals from this owner,” Moss said.
The warrant was issued after officers received a complaint from someone who bought a King Charles Spaniel puppy from an alleged dog breeder. The puppy tested positive for parvovirus, a contagious and painful disease that affects dogs’ gastrointestinal tract and white blood cells and can end in death, the department said.
The post gave this account of what happened:
Animal control officers and Pierce County deputies found the 68 dogs, which included four to six female dogs with their litters, in a double-wide trailer on the Key Peninsula. Many were allegedly kept in cages that didn’t meet minimum size requirements. There was no water present.
Many were “found sick and lethargic,” and several tested positive for parvovirus, the post said. One died while being transported to a vet for emergency care and two had to be euthanized. Others were put under observation.
A licensed veterinarian examined the dogs at an animal hospital and they were transported to a boarding facility after.
Prosecutors are reviewing the case for possible animal cruelty charges.
