Several of the dogs rescued from a property in Mount Olivet had matted fur, making it difficult for some of them to see and walk.
Submitted by Karen Hopkins
There were 14 adult dogs found living inhumanely at a residence in Mount Olivet.
Submitted by Karen Hopkins
MOUNT OLIVET — After rescuing nearly 20 dogs from inhumane living conditions, several rescue groups are drawing attention to the dangers of backyard breeding.
On Dec. 20, 2023, Robertson County Animal Control Officer Aletha Thomas received a call from the Kentucky Humane Society informing her they had received reports of a property in Mount Olivet that was housing dogs in inhumane conditions.
According to Karen Hopkins, a representative of Friends of Mason County Animals and Surrounding Counties, Thomas contacted her shortly after to request assistance in investigating the reports being made.
That day, Hopkins, Thomas, and a Kentucky State Police trooper arrived at the owner’s residence to find 14 adult dogs and five puppies being housed in “horrible” conditions.
Hopkins noted the dogs on the premises had very poor grooming status and could not see. Several dogs were also found to have developed eye infections, limps, and wounds.
Hopkins added the dogs were also incredibly skinny and hungry upon their arrival.
“It was a terrible abuse case, neglect case,” She recalled. She continued to share her recollections of the rescue she assisted on.
After meeting the owner of the property and dogs, they surrendered ownership to the entities at the scene. Hopkins said the owner seemed to have a desire to keep a few of the adult dogs for breeding purposes.
Given the number of adult dogs at the property, the rescue was not able to be completed completely until several weeks later, according to Hopkins. Two of the five puppies found at the scene were able to be rescued the following day.
Hopkins noted the other three puppies had already been sold when she arrived to rescue them from the conditions.
According to Hopkins, she and Thomas were hoping to get all of the puppies to a “legitimate, respectable” rescue organization so they could be fully funded, cared for, and adopted properly.
They were only able to relocate two of the puppies at the home originally, she said. Those rescued were taken to a rescue organization in Columbus.
In regards to the adult dogs, Hopkins contacted the Kentucky director for Guardians of Rescue, a national rescue organization for assistance. She noted the organization is known to do anything it can involving the rescue of dogs, including advocating for the animals and handling court cases.
It took a month to get everything worked out for each organization to be able to rescue the adult dogs at the residence, according to Hopkins. She said there were some setbacks regarding handling the animals and the weather.
On Jan. 21, Hopkins, Thomas, a representative of Guardians of Rescue, a representative of another rescue organization (Da Vinci’s Dream Rescue), and Judge-Executive Valerie Grigson arrived at the residence to rescue the 14 adult dogs.
“There was a crowd of us,” Hopkins said. “It was an ordeal getting all these dogs out of, I mean the buildings were really bad and it was just, it was difficult. It was a very uncomfortable situation moving them out.”
Following their rescue, the dogs were taken to Columbia to be evaluated and documented by veterinarians to see what health problems they had. Hopkins has since learned all of the dogs had several “issues.”
According to Hopkins, all of the dogs had respiratory problems due to exposure to high levels of ammonia when they were kept in crates and small buildings surrounded by feces and urine.
Unfortunately, respiratory struggles were not the only complications found in each dog’s health exam. Some of the dogs were found to have had open wounds, eye infections, prolapses and parasites.
Several of the dogs rescued from the property in Mount Olivet were given a body condition score of one. Hopkins explained this is scaled from one to five.
“It goes from one to five. So five is a fat animal, three would be an average, normal animal, but one is as skinny as you can be before you’re dead,” Hopkins remarked.
“Once they started getting some of the matting off of these dogs, they found skin and bones underneath.”
Hopkins specified the dogs rescued from the property have a long road of recovery ahead of them. She said it could take months before they are healthy enough to be spayed and neutered or get to a trusting point.
According to Hopkins, some of the dogs have been exhibiting behavioral issues due to the treatment they endured at the property. She said some of them were timid and scared.
Properly grooming the dogs is also expected to take some time, Hopkins said. It could take a day to groom each dog because the matting on their fur was so bad.
Since the rescue was complete, the county attorney for Robertson County has been reviewing evidence found at the property the first day of rescue. Hopkins suggested charges will likely be filed against the individual who was housing the dogs.
“By KRS state laws, there’s not a lot of them in Kentucky to protect animals but there are some. This case meets all the requirements for charges to be prepped,” Hopkins said.
She noted the individual in question was well-known in the community and had been breeding dogs for profit for years. According to Hopkins, the individual was known to breed and sell doodles, a mixture of poodles and other breeds.
As more information on the breeder comes to light, Hopkins has received reports from previous customers who experienced health issues with the puppies they purchased.
She discussed the importance of knowing who you are buying a dog from.
“People don’t realize sometimes when they buy, if they don’t go to the breeder’s kennel or home and see the parents and see the facility, a lot of these breeding animals are kept like this. They are not cared for,” Hopkins remarked.
She continued, “You know it’s not even the personal, you know, just taking care of a dog and being nice to it. I mean, these dogs are not often times getting the basic requirements of care. They are living in filth, you know all the while, the breeder is making a lot of money doing what they’re doing.”
According to Hopkins, she makes a significant effort to educate people about buying from breeders.
“If you absolutely decide you must buy from a breeder, you have to do your research, you have to go in person because it’s not fair to the parent dog, what they might be living in while the puppies are being sold for high dollars,” Hopkins expressed.
She continued to stress the importance of being aware of who you buy puppies from.
“If someone is selling puppies out of a parking lot, chances are the parents are probably in terrible shape or could be. Because most people, when you buy a puppy, you want to see what the parents are like,” Hopkins remarked.
“You want to know about health issues, temperament, size and when people buy a puppy without seeing the parents, without seeing the premises, they’re contributing to that, possibly, this type of abuse and neglect continuing because greed is motivating all of this.”
Hopkins also expressed a significant desire to bring accountability and exposure to backyard breeders. Although a lot of people associate breeding with puppy mills, it can also be “normal” for people doing it in their homes.
She suggested reporting any signs of neglect or backyard breeding to your local authorities.
“The biggest thing is, if you do see this, to report it to your local animal control officer, your local shelter, and your local authorities, representatives, and the community, your county commissioners, your city commissioners,” Hopkins said.
“Oftentimes, people don’t know it’s going on, so they don’t do anything about it because the knowledge isn’t there. But the people that do know that do see these things, have to speak up. They have to go and at least report it.”
She continued, “In this case, for instance, an anonymous person reached out to a state official and that is the only reason these dogs are saved. If that had not happened, people knew that the facility and the house was in horrible condition. People knew the animals in that house were in horrible condition but nobody really would step up locally and do anything.”
Hopkins noted the lack of attention might have been due to the small-town environment of the city.
“And that might be kind of a situation just because you know, small town, everybody knows everybody. But that has to stop. When people see this kind of abuse, you have to do something,” she said.
Hopkins also hopes to remind others that owning a dog is a lot of work. She noted the specific effort that comes with owning a doodle. According to Hopkins, grooming should be done every few months to keep a doodle healthy.
If someone is interested in following the road to recovery for the dogs that were rescued, please check any of the Facebook pages for Friends of Mason County Animals and Surrounding Counties, Guardians of Rescue, or Da Vinci’s Dream Rescue.
