Western Washington Puppy Mill Raids - Updated 10:45 pm 2/5/2009 - So far Snohomish and Skagit County Sheriff’s Departments are involved in shutting down this puppy mill ring.
A special Thank you to all of the law enforcement, animal control, and volunteers in Snohomish and Skagit Counties for their swift action on this and the way that they have handled this investigation, the raids and the rescues. So far they have rescued approximately 400 600 dogs. There are also several puppies that were born in the Everett Animal Shelter after the first raid. It is estimated that 80% of the dogs are pregnant so there are a lot more puppies coming. Officials expect 1500 puppies to be born in the coming weeks. The amount of puppies expected was first said to be about 1,500, however now reports state that approx. 20 dogs are pregnant. This is good news!
On a recent trip to see family my husband, was witness to horrible acts of animal cruelty at a lifelong friend’s residence. He came home and he told myself and his cousin of the horrible conditions that these dogs were living in. He struggled with calling the authorities on his best friend. It was with great angst that he called authorities with a tip that created a domino effect that is bringing down a huge puppy mill ring in Western Washington and rescuing more dogs then he ever imagined that it would…
On Friday evening (1/16/2009) in Gold Bar, WA - 155 dogs, 4 cats, and 3 parrots were seized from our friend’s house. They found 2 dead dogs on the property and dead puppies in the freezer. The animals that were seized were emaciated and dehydrated. At last report, however only 6 of the 155 dogs were determined to be unable to be rehabilitated.
Investigators said the puppy mill is connected to a licensed kennel called Wags ‘n Wiggles which is owned by Renee Roske. The house that was raided is owned by Mary Holleman aka Mary Hollerman who is Renee Roske’s sister and also Marjorie Sundberg’s daughter.
On Saturday (1/17/2009) in Snohomish, WA two more homes were raided, no puppies seized. Renee Roske told KING 5 news that she had no idea this was happening in the home that she was “renting” to our friends.
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/
1/23/2009 - 4:45 pm - 308 more dogs were seized from Skagit County at Marjorie Sundberg’s Kennel.
Animal control officers are asking anyone who purchased a dog from the Mountain View kennel to call the Skagit County Sheriff’s office. Please call Animal Control officer JoHannah Deterding at 360- 336-9450 or e-mail Officer Deterding at johannad@co.skagit.wa.us
1/24/2009 - 3am (couldn’t sleep :-P)
According to an article at SeattleTimes.com
“We’ve already had two litters born,” said Bud Wessman, director of Everett Animal Services, which is caring for 155 dogs seized from a Snohomish County property on Jan. 16. “We have six that will give birth over the weekend and probably another 10 litters coming up in the next week.
According to Wessman, the dogs’ owners have 15 days to either surrender the animals to the counties or post a bond that would cover the medical and boarding costs for the animals for the duration of their stay in the shelter, which, if criminal charges are filed, could be lengthy.
If they are turned over to the counties, Wessman said, the animals will have to give birth and then be spayed.
Wessman said he has spoken with officials from the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine about having the animals spayed and neutered en masse by students. He said this could be a great solution for the animals and a good learning experience for the students.
After that, a mass adopt-a-thon could be scheduled. He said the Academy of Canine Behavior in Bothell has offered to host one when the time is right, he said.
He and officials in Skagit County warn that it could take some time to restore the animals to health and prepare them to be fostered or adopted out.”
6:30 pm 1/24/2009
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Out of 600+ dogs that have been seized in the last week and a half, officials estimate that 80% of them are pregnant. They expect 1500+ puppies to be born in the coming weeks, raising the total amount of dogs to approximately 2000 or more. This is going to require many many foster homes and we need people willing to step forward when the time is right to help take care of these dogs. It is important that we save as many of these poor animals as we can.
Animal rescue officers say a typical litter for a stressed dog is about three pups, and roughly 500 of the dogs are pregnant.
“We’re going to be having puppies born here probably every day as long as they’re here,” says Animal Services Director Bud Wessman.
1/27/2009 - Brandon’s story appears in Front page of the Everett Herald http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090127/NEWS01/701279848
The Everett Herald announces “On Monday, officials said fewer than 20 of the 600 dogs likely are expecting puppies. “About 40 percent of the dogs are male. Another 30 percent are too young to be pregnant,” Skagit County sheriff’s spokesman Will Reichardt said.”
60+ puppies is better than 1500 any day!
2/5/2009 - Jason & Serenna Larsen are charged with 6 counts of Felony Animal Cruelty
