A New Hampshire woman will face animal cruelty charges, police say, after more than 60 dogs and cats were found in deplorable conditions.
The animals were seized Friday at Sweet Paws Inn and Spa in Ossipee.
On Tuesday, necn found Big Boy the pit bull basking in the sun and splashing in his pool at the Lakes Region Humane Society. But just days ago, Big Boy was living a different life.
"Just absolutely horrendous conditions," said Ossipee Police Sgt. Robert King.
Police say the pit bull was one of 56 dogs and eight cats, many covered in feces and urine, living inside Sweet Paws Spa and Inn, without any food or water.
"I haven't seen anything worse than that before in my career," Sgt. King said. "We had a feeling it was going to be pretty bad, but we didn't have a handle on it being even close to that bad."
Video taken inside Sweet Paws by one of the many volunteers who responded to remove the pets Friday shows feces smeared all over the crates, floors, and dishes. The Executive Director of the Conway Humane Society tells necn some of the dogs were starving, and the cats were so matted, maggots were living on them.
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"We are going to file charges in this matter, absolutely," Sgt. King said.
Sgt. King says the owner of the kennel, Laurinda Miller, will he held accountable. She didn't come to the door or answer necn's phone calls Wednesday.
"It's unsettling for sure," said Megan Fichter of the Lakes Region Humane Society. "But we know, working in this field, these things do happen."
The animals are being cared for at humane societies in Ossipee, Laconia, and in Conway.
Police say the irony in all this is that they've found transport records indicating that Miller was rescuing the dogs from down south.
"I have no idea about the conditions they were living in beforehand, but this was certainly no rescue," Sgt. King said.
Police don't know exactly when they'll be filing the animal cruelty charges but Sgt. King says, "sooner rather than later."
Once that happens, all the shelters say that Big Boy and the other animals will be up for adoption within days.
