A group of dogs rescued from terrible conditions in Stevens County, Washington are now getting the medical care they need at OHS.
One dog, named Love, arrived with severe lacerations on her neck and torso and was in surgery today in the OHS Holman Medical Center. OHS medical and behavior teams are assessing the needs of the other dogs, one of whom gave birth to five puppies yesterday.
The dogs had apparently been living outdoors for most of their lives, some of them tethered by chains for so long that they suffered deep neck lacerations from the chain collars.
The dogs currently at OHS are part of a larger group of approximately 40 dogs rescued last week from Stevens County, Washington. These dogs are part of a suspected puppy mill operation, according to KXLY News (story here).
The rescue effort was led by Rescue4All and Spokane’s Humane Evacuation Rescue Team, with the assistance of deputies from the Stevens County Sheriff’s office. The rescue groups reached out to shelters around the region to help the dogs, as Stevens County lacks the resources to care for so many animals at once. OHS is one of those shelters providing assistance.
OHS is caring for six of the adult dogs from Stevens County as well as the five puppies born yesterday to one of the adult dogs. The dogs will receive medical care as long as needed and will be offered for adoption when they are ready for new homes. The dogs at OHS are Labrador mixes, mastiff mixes, and other breeds. The dogs are friendly to people but are not leash trained or house trained. More information will be made available when the dogs are ready.
Owners Face Animal Cruelty Charges
The dogs were initially surrendered by their owners, but rescuers suspected there were more animals on the property. A search warrant was served on the property on Monday night, according to Stevens County Sheriff Kendle Allen. The Stevens County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Theresa and Thomas Hostetler on multiple counts of animal cruelty after skeletal remains and hides of other animals were found during the search. Read more on KXLY News here.
For more information about this case, see the KXLY News story and video here. Rescue4All, the rescue organization leading this effort, is providing updates on their website here.
Images of Rescued Dogs
