On 7/18/24 Animal Control Officers and Pierce County Deputies served a search warrant on a home in the Peninsula area in Lakebay. There had been one complaint from a citizen that had purchased a King Charles Spaniel puppy from an alleged dog breeder that was sick and tested positive for Parvovirus. Parvovirus is an extremely contagious, life-threatening, and painful disease that affects a dog’s gastrointestinal tract and white blood cells and results in extreme suffering if not treated in a timely manner.
When Animal Control and deputies arrived, 68 dogs were located in a double-wide trailer. There were many dogs caged all around the house and approximately 4-6 female dogs with litters of puppies loose inside the trailer. Many of the dogs in cages did not meet the minimum size standard and there was no water.
There were dogs and puppies found sick and lethargic. One puppy was immediately transported to a vet for emergency care, but died while in route, and two additional puppies were humanely euthanized due to testing positive for Parvovirus and being too sick. Additional puppies tested positive for Parvovirus and were put under observation.
All the dogs and puppies were transported to an Animal Hospital where they were examined by a licensed veterinarian. After the examinations, the dogs were transported to a boarding facility for safe-keeping during the criminal investigation.
Animal Cruelty charges have been forwarded to a prosecutor for review and charging.
Animal Control will have more information about the status of these puppies and what the next steps will be in the near future.
