Seized dogs soon to be up for adoption
SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. -- The couple at the center of a puppy mill investigation has decided to forfeit ownership of the seized animals.
The decision by Marjorie and Richard Sundberg means the nearly 450 dogs that once belonged to the couple can soon be adopted.
The dogs were seized in January from the Sundbergs' Mount Vernon kennel where animal control officers found the animals living in deplorable conditions.
They were kept in tight cages contaminated with feces and urine that sat alongside bodies of dead dogs in unheated spaces, detectives said. Many dogs had been left without any food or water. Veterinarians later determined some of dogs were suffering from coccidia, an intestinal disease, and many others were pregnant.
The Everett Animal Shelter has placed nearly 90 of the Sundbergs' dogs and puppies in foster care. One of them is Millie, who has a serious heart murmur.
Millie has been living with Pattie Van Wierin and her family, who can't wait to adopt her.
"If that option became available to us, there was no question," Van Wierin said. "She's already a part of the family and she knows it."
Austin Gates of the Northwest Organization for Animal Help (NOAH) said the Sundbergs' decision is the best thing that could have happened for the dogs.
"From my understanding, after some papers are filed tomorrow, the dogs become legally our property and we are able to adopt them out as we see fit," he said.
Flyers stating the animals are off-limits for adoption are now being torn down.
But officials warn these dogs are not for every family. Many are emotionally stressed and can be very fearful of people, not to mention all their medical problems that won't just disappear.
Take the case of Ernie the Chihuahua, for instance. The pooch was taken in by a foster family a few weeks ago. Then came trouble.
"Everything was going great. Then Ernie jumped off the couch - which we all think is pretty normal for a dog to do that - and his front leg shattered," said clinic manager Lee Lucky. "And it shattered so severely they were unable to pin it. So he had to have his front leg amputated."
The medical staff is dealing with problems they've never seen before, from crumbling bones to horribly rotten teeth. A dog named Champ had a spinal injury that was never treated. Now, a new sling helps keep him on his feet.
A few foster families have already returned their dogs because they're too much to handle. But for those eager to give these animals a second chance, the time has arrived.
Last week the Sundbergs each pleaded not guilty to four counts of animal cruelty in the first degree, four counts of animal cruelty in the second degree and one count of transporting or confining in an unsafe manner.
A family affair?
Investigators first learned of the Sundbergs' operation after serving search warrants at the homes of their daughters, Renee Roske and Mary Anne Holleman in Snohomish County.
At one of the homes, deputies found "several hidden compartments built into the house to hide dogs," court documents state. Thirty nine dogs were found in the two homes; however, none of those dogs were seized.
At Holleman's kennel in Gold Bar, deputies found 155 dogs, 87 of them of them stashed in an attic, living in ghastly conditions so horrific that it shocked even veteran animal control officers, investigators said.
Officers said the odor from the feces and urine was so overpowering it could be detected well outside the residence. A large commercial dumpster stood in the yard overflowing with dog waste.
Medications and used syringes, used to treat sick animals, were found scattered in front of pens and in a refrigerator.
Investigators seized all the dogs from the property, as well as four cats and three parrots.
Neither Roske nor Holleman have been charged. A couple hired to live on site at Holleman's kennel and care for the dogs have been charged, however.
Holleman's sister, Renee Roske, had hired Jason and Serenna Larsen to live on site at her kennel and take care of the dogs, according to the search warrant. Roske runs the Wags N Wiggles Pet Shop out of her home in Snohomish.
In court last week, Jason Larsen insisted he and his wife were just a small part of a multi-million dollar operation. Larsens also said they would need public defenders to represent them.
The investigation is ongoing. Detectives are seeking customers who may have purchased a dog from Roske or Wags N Wiggles. Anyone who thinks they may have done so to e-mail them.
The decision by Marjorie and Richard Sundberg means the nearly 450 dogs that once belonged to the couple can soon be adopted.
The dogs were seized in January from the Sundbergs' Mount Vernon kennel where animal control officers found the animals living in deplorable conditions.
They were kept in tight cages contaminated with feces and urine that sat alongside bodies of dead dogs in unheated spaces, detectives said. Many dogs had been left without any food or water. Veterinarians later determined some of dogs were suffering from coccidia, an intestinal disease, and many others were pregnant.
The Everett Animal Shelter has placed nearly 90 of the Sundbergs' dogs and puppies in foster care. One of them is Millie, who has a serious heart murmur.
Millie has been living with Pattie Van Wierin and her family, who can't wait to adopt her.
"If that option became available to us, there was no question," Van Wierin said. "She's already a part of the family and she knows it."
Austin Gates of the Northwest Organization for Animal Help (NOAH) said the Sundbergs' decision is the best thing that could have happened for the dogs.
"From my understanding, after some papers are filed tomorrow, the dogs become legally our property and we are able to adopt them out as we see fit," he said.
Flyers stating the animals are off-limits for adoption are now being torn down.
But officials warn these dogs are not for every family. Many are emotionally stressed and can be very fearful of people, not to mention all their medical problems that won't just disappear.
Take the case of Ernie the Chihuahua, for instance. The pooch was taken in by a foster family a few weeks ago. Then came trouble.
"Everything was going great. Then Ernie jumped off the couch - which we all think is pretty normal for a dog to do that - and his front leg shattered," said clinic manager Lee Lucky. "And it shattered so severely they were unable to pin it. So he had to have his front leg amputated."
The medical staff is dealing with problems they've never seen before, from crumbling bones to horribly rotten teeth. A dog named Champ had a spinal injury that was never treated. Now, a new sling helps keep him on his feet.
A few foster families have already returned their dogs because they're too much to handle. But for those eager to give these animals a second chance, the time has arrived.
Last week the Sundbergs each pleaded not guilty to four counts of animal cruelty in the first degree, four counts of animal cruelty in the second degree and one count of transporting or confining in an unsafe manner.
A family affair?
Investigators first learned of the Sundbergs' operation after serving search warrants at the homes of their daughters, Renee Roske and Mary Anne Holleman in Snohomish County.
At one of the homes, deputies found "several hidden compartments built into the house to hide dogs," court documents state. Thirty nine dogs were found in the two homes; however, none of those dogs were seized.
At Holleman's kennel in Gold Bar, deputies found 155 dogs, 87 of them of them stashed in an attic, living in ghastly conditions so horrific that it shocked even veteran animal control officers, investigators said.
Officers said the odor from the feces and urine was so overpowering it could be detected well outside the residence. A large commercial dumpster stood in the yard overflowing with dog waste.
Medications and used syringes, used to treat sick animals, were found scattered in front of pens and in a refrigerator.
Investigators seized all the dogs from the property, as well as four cats and three parrots.
Neither Roske nor Holleman have been charged. A couple hired to live on site at Holleman's kennel and care for the dogs have been charged, however.
Holleman's sister, Renee Roske, had hired Jason and Serenna Larsen to live on site at her kennel and take care of the dogs, according to the search warrant. Roske runs the Wags N Wiggles Pet Shop out of her home in Snohomish.
In court last week, Jason Larsen insisted he and his wife were just a small part of a multi-million dollar operation. Larsens also said they would need public defenders to represent them.
The investigation is ongoing. Detectives are seeking customers who may have purchased a dog from Roske or Wags N Wiggles. Anyone who thinks they may have done so to e-mail them.