Two video links on website -- the video is disturbing.
ADAMS COUNTY-- Volunteers rescued more than 100 dogs from two kennels near Lind Saturday. The animals were living in filthy conditions. Many were sick or dying, some were already dead.
"Some of them are just beyond hope at this point," said Othello Pet Rescue President Jessica Fuhrman.
Adams County Sheriff's deputies arrested 71-year-old Sharon Provost and charged her with first degree animal cruelty. They say Provost had been hawking puppies in the newspaper, until a perspective buyer reported seeing abused dogs.
When deputies found about 15 sick dogs living among the carcass of a dog that had hanged itself at Provost's kennel, they went to her home. They discovered dozens more canines in her house and yard.
Adams County does not have an animal control shelter, so deputies called Pet Rescue. Undersheriff John Hunt said about 30 volunteers were instrumental to the raid.
"We wouldn't be here," he said. "I don't know what we'd do, to be honest. We'd be looking at other agencies throughout the state, because we don't have any type of facility, or obviously, the manpower."
One by one, the volunteers pulled dozens of starving dogs from their outdoor kennels, where a veterinarian and his team examined them.
"It's appalling," said Fuhrman. "This is the biggest that we've ever been involved with. We are so not prepared for coming into this. We thought, 40 dogs, and we're already over 60, with a secondary location we still haven't went to yet."
As the day went on, the number grew. At the end of the day, they rescued 111 dogs. Two others were put down on scene because they were so sick, and four were found dead. Pet Rescue workers say they expect more dogs to be euthanized Monday.
"The dogs are really sick," said Fuhrman. "There's mange, there's bleeding in the mouth. Their teeth are missing because they haven't had good nutrition. There's puppies where the mom's too skinny to feed the puppies."
The conditions inside Provost's home weren't any better.
"There's not toilets that function in the home," said Hunt, who has been working on the case for almost a week. "There's dead carcases in the house from the dogs and a cat. They found four dead dog carcases and a cat carcass that had been there for a long time, a lot of dog feces in the house."
Veterinarian Marvin Chamberlain called the property a "puppy mill."
"Unsanitary conditions is our biggest problem we're dealing with," he said. "The other problem is, these dogs are completely unsocialized."
"A lot of these dogs haven't been touched by people, and they are pretty much wild dogs," said Fuhrman. "They will make good pets eventually, they just need a lot of work."
Pet Rescue pulled in volunteers from around the region for the massive rescue operation. They are working to find homes and pay for medical treatment for the dogs.
The nonprofit organization depends on donations and people to adopt animals. Many will be taken to the Seattle area. About 20 of the dogs are being fostered locally.
If you want to make donations, or are interested in adopting, call Pet Rescue at (509) 855-1402.
