The Hawaiian Humane Society rescued Tuesday more than 40 purebred Pomeranian puppies and adults from "extremely filthy" living conditions at a longtime breeder’s Halawa house.
"The living conditions were extremely filthy and pretty horrible," said Keoni Vaughn, director of operations for the Humane Society. "The dogs were found with matted fur, which can be extremely painful."
He said 17 of the 43 dogs were being housed in a detached, air-conditioned storage facility with no open windows or other ventilation. Strong odors could be detected from the street, he said.
The dogs were surrendered without incident by the owner, whose name was not disclosed.
"One thing that’s important to note is that as soon as we arrived, she told me that she knew that we would be here soon and that she really needs some help, and she recognized that she was in over her head," Vaughn said. "Because she’s being so cooperative and we’re not pressing charges, we’re not releasing the name."
A complaint was called in by a friend of someone who had seen the dogs’ living conditions.
Vaughn said the woman had been breeding Pomeranians, a toy dog breed, for years, participating in the Kahala Petland store’s popular "puppy swap meet." The breeder had sold a puppy as recently as a couple of months ago for $2,500, he said, adding that she even earned a "breeder of the year" award recently from a dog fanciers group.
"We’ve been trying to educate people who want purebred dogs that they have got to inspect the living conditions of where the parents live. We can’t emphasize that enough," said Hawaiian Humane Society spokeswoman Jacque LeBlanc. "Pet shops and Internet sales protect irresponsible breeders who may not want you to see how they care for animals they sell."
Vaughn said the rescue contrasted with a 2011 case in which 155 dogs caged in filthy conditions were rescued from a commercial dog-breeding business in Waimanalo. A former manager was charged with 153 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty and sentenced to six months of jail time last year.
"In that case they shut their door on us. These animals we rescued today were definitely living in horrible conditions, but in this instance this woman made a cry for help (once discovered) and we’re offering assistance," Vaughn said.
The Moiliili shelter’s animal care team was conducting health inspections on the seized dogs Tuesday afternoon. Once healthy, the puppies and adults will be spayed and neutered before being placed up for adoption, Vaughn said.
"Right now our primary concern is that they are safe in our care and being treated by our medical team," he said.
The nonprofit is seeking the public’s help with caring for the sudden influx of dogs. The shelter needs towels and large collapsible crates as well as volunteers to care for the animals.
Donations, including monetary ones, can be dropped off 24 hours a day to the Humane Society at 2700 Waialae Ave.
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On the Net:
» To donate online: hawaiianhumane.org/donate-now.html
