One woman, 483 heartbreaks

SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. -- Investigators believe Marjorie Sundberg and her two daughters, Renee Roske and Mary Anne Holleman, ran a puppy mill operation in two counties, raising hundreds of dogs in filthy, disease-infested conditions.

But before prosecutors can file criminal charges, every detail of every one of the rescued dogs must be documented. In Skagit County, there's only one person who can do that.

Emily Diaz isn't the only animal control officer in the county, but her partner was only in her third week of training when the raids took place.

So it is Diaz alone who quizzes veterinarians about everything wrong with every dog she confiscated from Sundberg's Mount Vernon kennel. Her case load: 483 dogs.

"It has been extremely emotionally taxing," she said.

Diaz documents the dogs' every detail for prosecutors, including breeding records, dental records and X-ray results. She also notes where the dog was found, who currently cares for it and which medical treatments it is receiving.

As she documented a toy poodle who will soon lose an eye, Diaz anticipated animal cruelty charges against the kennel owner. Veterinarian Dr. Jake Searle said there's no other choice for the sick dog.

"We're going to take the eye, because the eye has ruptured from the inside out," he said.

After sorting through stacks upon stacks of paperwork, Diaz has learned more about the kennel's inner-workings and she is surprised. Even puppies without registrations had been sold for top dollars.

"The money that's involved in this is amazing," she said.

Diaz spends about an hour documenting each dog, suggesting each possible charge against the kennel's owner.

"It is a puppy mill that's gone out of control, mass producing dogs," she said.

And what Diaz writes about each dog sets the stage for the outcome of the biggest kennel raid in Skagit County history.