What to do???? - animal issue....

Brias3 wrote: I'll apologize in advance for this being a bit lengthy, but I need to explain alot in order to get the point of the story across here.

So my sister (the one who lost her boyfriend two weeks ago) has a friend currently in the service. His family left for Florida last night for a small vacation and apparently, my sister agreed to stay over at their house through the nights to housesit. It isn't until last night that she realizes she will also be responsible for the care of their animals. They currently have two cats, six dogs (two of whom they breed and both of which just gave birth) and now, 15 puppies in the house. The first litter, 10 puppies, are 4 weeks old. The second litter, 5 puppies, are a week and a half old. WHY on Earth a breeder would leave behind puppies this young at this age is beyond me. From the sounds of things, it looks as though the dogs will be virtually neglected for much of this week, outside of the random friends that have been asked to stop by. Well, my sister being the headcase she is at times decided tonight that she didn't agree to the responsibility for the pets and refuses to stay overnight. At this point, the pets and puppies will all be alone in the house until Monday when the family returns, with the exception of occasional stop-ins.

I was worried sick over these pets alone so I told her that I was going to pick up the key and go check on them, if she wouldn't. I go over there tonight and flipped a lid. The house is an absolute PIGSTY. The mother dogs and puppies are being kept in the basement, which is basically in crawlspace form right now- sump pump covers rusted and open, no lighting, live wires, cr** everywhere, pee everywhere, etc. The puppies litters are in two separate plastic children's pools. The older litter is now big enough to climb out and are doing this frequently. I searched over 20 minutes for two puppies. I called Bruce to bring over some old baby gates we had (of which he had to drag the sleeping kids into the car for) and then I cleaned out both pools and re-papered them, made barriers around both with the gates so the puppies can't get out, attached Rubbermaid bins to one side so the mothers can climb in and out, and tried to cover up/block as many hazards as possible. I moved both pools over as close to the entrance to the basement as possible and left the hall lights on, gating the other dogs upstairs (minus the mothers of course) to have run of the first floor. I also took all of the dogs out (including their PIT BULL mind you ) to use the bathroom, washed out every animal feeding bowl I saw and left the dogs and cats out huge bowls of food and fresh water, not knowing when someone will go over there again to do so. All of these animals, including the pit bull, are seriously THE sweetest animals ever. I can't imagine leaving them like this.

I'm literally in tears still right now. I don't even know what to do. My sister is going over there tomorrow morning, or so she says. I know they must have a license to breed (I'm assuming) but isn't there still a limit for number of pets in a household, dog-wise? I feel like these animals are going to be potentially neglected until Monday, due to the fact that people may or may not stop in. I have half a mind to go over there everyday myself. Is there anything I could do? Report this or no?? I'm just sick over this right now. It broke my heart to leave them there.

luvmykids replied: OMG You are so kind I have no idea what in the world I would do, other than call the owners and tell them they are unsuitable

gr33n3y3z replied: call the police station and they will contact animal control

cameragirl21 replied:
i second that, as a person who loves animals more than anything in the world, i want to say that you are a wonderful person!!!
personally, i'd say something to the owners and tell them if they don't get their sh*t together and show me that they did then i will call animal control.
when breeders keep puppies in these sorts of conditions they won't grow up to be healthy dogs and when someone pays a breeder five hundred bucks or more for a puppy they expect a healthy dog.
besides, dogs are not meant to be left unattended with occasional visitors. cats can be left by themselves but dogs need someone who will stay and walk them and play with them regularly.
poor dogs.

hopefulmomtobe replied:
The only thing about that is....if you do that and some don't get adopted (like the older dogs, puppies will go quick) then they will be put down.

lovemykiddies replied: How awful...I really feel for those animals and also the situation you're in. I think I would probably contact animal control...maybe there is a no-kill shelter around?

amynicole21 replied: Oh man, I would be a mess, too. I think I would be over there daily until the people came home... I would probably also call animal control. How terrible.

stella6979 replied: I absolutely depise animal neglect/cruelty and would definately report it. Nobody wants to pay a fine, so maybe it'll kick their butts in gear and they'll start providing a better home for those animals.

CantWait replied:
Not all shelters put animals down.

I agree, these people don't deserve to own nevermind breed animals. Call animal control, they deserve better then that.

Jackie012007 replied: that is absolutely DISGUSTING, unethical and downright cruel. REPORT THEM!!! .

It's not like they are simple owners either, considering they breed and I assume sell their puppies - animals left in their own fecies and subjected to conditions like that should not be sold to others!

I would immediately call animal control - because the owners left, it is considered abandonment and the ACO can, by law, seize all the animals in the house. Nothing will be done until the owners get back, they will be served with a summons and have a chance to come plead their case. It's not like they are simple owners either, considering they breed and I assume sell their puppies - animals left in their own fecies and subjected to conditions like that should not be sold to others!

Until then, the animals will either stay in a shelter or be put into foster care - because the puppies are so young, probably foster care. If the people want their animals back, they will probably have to pay a hefty fine and then have so much time to get the stuff cleaned up and prove they can provide a better situation for the animals - if they cannot, the animals will be put up for adoption OR put into a rescue.

cameragirl21 replied:
how can you be sure they won't go to a kill shelter?
i only ask because i've seen similar (although not quite to this extent) situations and was always afraid to call animal control because i was worried the animals would just be put down.

gr33n3y3z replied:
I hate to say this but you dont know and they wont tell you
I think our shelter has a 15 day limit but we have a humane socitey*sp
and they keep all animals until they are taken or die. But they were shut down for bad conditions and filth I think they had 500 cats and 134 dogs
and they had up teen broken codes.
Not sure if they opened up yet or not bc they were working on improvements

boyohboyohboy replied: I was just wondering, since your sister has a key from the owners, cant they potentially say she took responsibility for them while they were away, and the condition they are in now, be part her liability?
if she agreed to care for the animals and now doesnt want too, because of the horrible mess the house, I just wondered if she too would be in trouble....?
I know the mess is the owners fault and not hers.

lisar replied: I say report it. I am leaving for 4 days on march 22nd and I have already made arangments for both of my dogs. There is a really nice animal home here its $20.00 a day per animal. But they are not locked in a cage all day either. They are on a runner that goes indoors and outdoors so they get thier choice of where to be. Its really nice. I take them there anytime I leave. I would never leave them alone.

Crystalina replied: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WTH? I'm also a breeder but why on earth would they have so many puppies at one time? Unless they are paying their bills with these dogs! How can they make sure all the pups have what they need? I can not STAND people like that. You breed because you love the breed not to pay your freakin' mortgage! Most of my money goes back into the dogs or I use for luxurys. I don't depend on the money. And I certainly don't have more then one litter at a time. These people need to be reported! I know alot of people are worried about where the dogs may go but at least it's a chance to get out of that crawlspace/basement. They sound like a puppmill to me. More then likely they will continue breeding the same dogs until they can't anymore. Pleeeeeeeeease report them and save those dogs. If it's as bad as you say they need to get out of there. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and maybe it was meant for you to see them and save them.

Jackie012007 replied:
when it comes to an animal seizure, there is a chain of command. It's not a simple dropping Fido off at the shelter because he's a pain in the butt and I hope he gets adopted - when an animal is seized by DCO because of a complaint about cruelty/abuse, it is a legal matter and when the animl is dropped off, the shelter workers are made aware of the situation and the animal is placed seperately with a sign that it is not up for adoption at this time. Usually if the shelter has the sapce, the animal wil be quarantined as well for health concerns.

Jackie012007 replied:
couldn't have said it any better! and a puppymill is what came to mind, too! these people really need to be brought down.

Brias3 replied: An update.....

My sister and I went BACK over there today to recheck the situation. Mind you, I don't believe she can be held liable for these conditions. The family left on a red eye flight Wednesday night and she went over there at 6 am on Thursday. That's what she found. She cleaned and fed everyone. When I went back last night, I found a similar situation, as the apparent "daytime help" had never gone over there to let them out or anything. She and I moved the all the puppies and mothers to the main level of the house and gated them off from the other dogs so everyone could move around freely. Bruce's mother (who is big into animal rescue- they've been taking in strays and rescuing from shelters for as long as I can remember) came over with us today to check on the puppies and the other animals, as she has raised cats and dogs for years and is a bit more knowledgeable than either of us. She said they look ok and no one is malnourished or anything but definitely SHOULD NOT be left alone.

My sister left three messages with the family over the course of today. To her knowledge, the family might not have even ARRANGED anyone else to come over- just asked her to stop by in the evenings. In addition, she and I went over to the neighbors of this family (whom they are friends with) and the neighbor lady immediately agreed to come over whenever needed. So far, between us two and some friends and neighbors we've gotten in touch with, we'll at least have nearly full-time care for the animals until Monday. Of course, its gonna be kind of tough because Bruce is headed off on a short trip tomorrow afternoon through Wednesday and I'm not sure if I want the kids around the dogs, since the puppies aren't vaccinated yet to my knowledge. Thank God there is at least plenty of dog and cat food and animal supplies at the house so we know what they are used to diet-wise, etc.

I'm going in to speak with an officer I know as soon as Bruce gets home. This officer is the father of a boy in Aliyah's class who I know pretty well, so hopefully I can get some good information and assistance.

And yes, they are breeding these animals to sell. What's more is that my sister said the family told her they are selling the puppies for $2500 each. They are black labs. I don't know much about dog pricing but isn't that a bit steep for a LAB? Unrelated, but still caught me as funny. I'm not quite sure they've even put $500 into the care of them And yes, I also believe they must be paying their bills with these dogs.

Edited to say: I think in my first post, it came across as though my sister was abandoning all responsibility till they get home. What I meant by "alone till Monday" was everything outside of the nights she agreed to go over there, KWIM? So yea, she's stuck now too- she has to work all weekend and now needs to cover the bases for daytime....GRRRR.

Crystalina replied:
More then likely they are selling over the internet which means I growl even more ( ) because they will have to be put on planes. Unless you are in a large area (I'm not sure if they are) or the breeders travel with the dogs (which I'm doubting ). I can't stand when people crate their puppies and but them on a plane to travel. It's wrong.

I'm glad you're trying to make their lives easier until these "breeders" return.

Jackie012007 replied:
the puppies can't pass anything on disease-wise to the kids, but given the conditions they were in, in that basement, they could potentially pass on hook or ringworm. And puppies that young definitely haven't been wormed or vaccinated. I'd advise you to keep the kids away, worms are nasty to deal with

Brias3 replied: One more question....would it be a legal problem for me to take the other dogs (not the mothers/puppies) outside of the house, like to my MIL's or mine to stay until they return? I think it might be easier to keep the cats on the top level, mid level for mothers and puppies and then get the other dogs out so they're not crossing paths with the new litters.

Would that be like "stealing" the dogs???? I'm just trying to think of anything I can to make this situation best as possible for these animals.

Maybe I better wait to talk to the officer tonight.

If its not illegal, every last one of those animals will be either at mine, my parents or my MIL's house within a few hours time until Monday, so help me God.

Jackie012007 replied:
it could turn into a legal problem. if the family finds out you took the dogs and are mad, they could bring you up on charges. Under the law, animals are property. I wouldn't chance it, but ask the officer you are going to contact.

CantWait replied:
$2500 is steep for any dog IMHO, I've never heard something so outrageous. We only paid $500 for our golden lab with his papers. Labs are not so rare that someone should be stupid enough to pay $2500 for one.

Sounds like these people are using these dogs solely for breeding, and that's quite sad.