HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 03-04 Humane Society finally catches puppy hoarders on the lam CITY PAGES 3/4/2016 Humane Society finally catches puppy hoarders on the lam I City Pages
H UMA A
ANE o" U'llET"Y" FINALLY"
CA 1-11, A
ATCHEOr" PUPRY HUAR D E r R` S U**'% N
THE LAM
BY SUSAN DU AA
14 0
FRIDAY, MARCH 4,2016 4 HOURS AGO
j � I
y
a
Y
lW
low 0"low
iyywqui INWWW"�i " ' " `MlWdbi WWIN' MNIS+ WMMII / /
W4W�NwKM�WWYAY4% ' i'"
7,
Animal Humane Society rescued 95 dogs. They're still searching for others.
Bill Thom-,son
Last summer, Animal Humane Society agent Wade Hanson received a bunch of calls from Stacy,
Minnesota. Neighbors suspected that a mysterious couple was running some sort of horror house filled
with dozens of dogs.
hftp://www.citypages.com/news/hum ane-society-fi nal I y-catches-puppy-hoarders-on-the-I am-8096864 1/3
3/4/2016 Humane Society finally catches puppy hoarders on the lam I City Pages
They could hear them through the walls. But they never saw them being taken out for walks.
Hanson went to check it out. He found a shed filled with dirty poodles and other large dogs stuck in
cages, their fur severely matted. There was no ventilation. The ammonia smell nearly knocked him off
his feet.
In the garage were dozens of tiny terriers, living in plastic pet carriers stacked along a wall.
The owners barred him from entering the house since he didn't have a search warrant. All he could do
was tell them to clean up and find new homes for the dogs because Chisago County allowed a maximum
of three to a household. They agreed, explaining that they'd already found people who were committed
to adopting the whole fleet, but they just hadn't come to pick up yet.
RELATED STORIES
Some asshole shot this Golden Lab in the
face
In Floodwood, the feds investigate the
triple slaying of endangered wolves
Hanson set a deadline for the couple to clear out their home, then applied for a warrant to search the
entire property. When he returned, he found that they'd made a run for it.
Later, Hanson's partner Keith Streff received some complaints about dog hoarding in Maplewood. The
neighbors had seen a couple move dozens of pet carriers into the house the last anyone ever saw of
the animals.
Streff called Maplewood Police, who ordered the couple to get the dogs new homes. Again the couple
tried to placate the police, saying the dogs were about to be adopted. He and Hanson put two and two
together: It was the same family that had eluded them in Stacy.
Lo and behold, they went on the lam again, to Sandstone, where they were betrayed by another
neighbor. Hanson drove up, and discovered the man living there with about 60 dogs. Hanson
hftp://www.citypages.com/news/hum ane-society-fi nal I y-catches-puppy-hoarders-on-the-I am-8096864 2/3
3/4/2016 Humane Society finally catches puppy hoarders on the lam I City Pages
•, xis
confiscated 53 in February and confirmed the rest
were actually being adopted, clearing out the
Sandstone house.
With more digging, he discovered that the woman
had stashed 42 more dogs back at the second home
j in Maplewood. On Wednesday, the Humane Society
took them too.
"The big thing is they were selling dogs or trying to
sell dogs," Hanson says. "There's also that mental
i
illness the hoarder mentality to where they don't
think that anybody can care for these animals as well
as they can, and they just don't wanna get rid of
them."
He says the couple have properties in Rush City,
Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The Humane Society
hasn't been able to locate those houses yet, but there
could be dogs stockpiled there as well, he says.
On a scale from one to 10 rating the most upsetting
Animal Humane Society hoarding cases he's investigated, Hanson says the tri-
city hoarder couple would score only a five. Horse
hoarding tends to be much worse, because they're bigger animals that require more food, more space,
and care.
The dogs are now living at all five of the Humane Society's Minnesota shelters. They're a bit socially
awkward, but they seem to be running around and enjoying their emancipation, Hanson says.
Once the investigation is finalized, the couple may be charged with animal cruelty. There's not much in
the books to keep them from acquiring more pets right now. In the long run, they could get barred from
having animals for up to one year.
hftp://www.citypages.com/news/hum ane-society-fi nal I y-catches-puppy-hoarders-on-the-I am-8096864 3/3