About 250-280 Animals Rescued In Trenton Puppy Mill Bust
Photo by Lydia Berglar – Emily Richards (TDAC director) and Dr. Jennifer Zarecor (TDAC veterinarian) exam a French Bulldog at the scene of the Trenton puppy mill bust.
By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor
For the last two years, Audray Luck (Luck’s Rescue) and Monda Wooten (Dade County Pet Project, City of Trenton street commissioner) have been hearing complaints from the neighbors of 181 Sells Lane in Trenton about the animal situation at the house. Last week, the situation was finally addressed by the state with the help of many local agencies.
When Luck responds to reports of animal hoarding, neglect, or cruelty, she is sometimes able to convince the owners to surrender the animals, or the owners might take her up on her offer of help, but this was not one of those cases. She was never able to make contact with the owners, and no city officials or volunteers could enter the home to see the true state of things.
Photo by Lydia Berglar – Monda Wooten watches as Trenton Police officers load a mama dog (also pictured below) into the Dade County Pet Project van.
Luck explained, “Two years ago, I got my first complaint from neighbors. Animal feces were piled two or three feet high in the backyard, and the neighbors complained that the smell was so horrendous that their children couldn’t play outside.”
Wooten reported that city code enforcement and law enforcement had visited the home multiple times but were unable to do much besides issue a warning.
Luck collected enough evidence to file a complaint with the Georgia Department of Agriculture about the owners breeding dogs without a breeder’s license. From there, it took some time until the department got a search warrant.
At about noon on July 1, the search warrant execution and rescue mission began. About 14 hours later, at 2 a.m. on July 2, the operation concluded. According to Wooten, the owners surrendered the animals under pressure from the Department of Agriculture that the animals would be taken away one way or the other.
Those at the scene initially estimated that there were 100 dogs. Once all was said and done, reports on the exact number of animals varied, ranging from 250 on the low end to 280 on the high end. Somewhere between 250-260 dogs were found, and between 10-20 cats. It is unclear whether or not these numbers include deceased animals.
Photo by Lydia Berglar – This old, overbred mama dog went to Walker County after being rescued from 181 Sells Lane.
The dogs were all French Bulldogs, Pomeranians, and Chow Chows.
When the Sentinel was on the scene and throughout the long 14-hour day, the team took the animals out one-by-one for a quick vet check. They sorted animals into three categories based on the severity of their medical needs. Nearly all had matted, filthy fur, and many others had a variety of infections and medical conditions.
With nowhere near enough space in the city shelter, nearby shelters stepped up to take in the dogs. The future Trenton-Dade Animal Center’s (TDAC) capacity is not yet clear, but even if it was up and running, it is unlikely that all of the animals could have been housed there.
Wooten said that this is easily the largest number of animals in one case that she and Luck (or the city or county) has ever dealt with.
While the Sells Lane case was initially referred to as a hoarding case, it is also accurate to categorize it as a backyard breeder/puppy mill case.
Wooten told the Sentinel that in the two weeks leading up to the puppy mill bust, she and Luck worked two other hoarding cases and are aware of a third involving over 20 cats. From the first two cases, they transported 64 animals, leaving some behind due to the lack of places for them to go.
Some news outlets called the Sells Lane case the fifth hoarding case in two weeks, but Wooten did not mention a fifth case.
The investigation, led by the Department of Agriculture, is ongoing with no word yet on whether or not animal cruelty charges have been filed.
The Dade County Commission Office thanks all of the agencies and partners who responded to the case: Georgia Department of Agriculture; animal control agencies from Gordon County, Murray County, Walker County, Forsyth County, Catoosa County, and Cherokee County; Luck’s Rescue, Dade County Pet Project, and Sun Dog Grooming; Emily Richards (TDAC director), Dr. Jennifer Zarecor (TDAC veterinarian), Dr. Vickie Resh (Dade County Animal Hospital), and Dr. Christine Maddox (The Mountain Hospital for Animals); and the Trenton Police Department, and Dade County Sheriff’s Office.
