For now, said DeVane, Beverly Baker has been "put out of business as a puppy mill" at the Krehling Road address. No criminal charges had been filed against Baker as of Thursday.
Efforts to contact Baker were unsuccessful Thursday.
The 46 dogs, which were described as thin and malnourished by Baldwin County Humane Society leaders, were rescued over the past two days.
"If this had been a week later without food and water it could have easily turned into finding a lot of dead animals," said Deneen Balistere, who is the organization’s dog adoption coordinator.
DeVane said he plans to meet with Elberta’s attorney Monday to determine what, if any, charges will be filed against Baker.
"I determined there was possibly either neglect or they were malnourished," said DeVane, adding that the dogs were "eat up with fleas, some were anemic and very thin."
The dogs ranged from poodles to malti-poos, yorkies and Pekingese.
"There’s no food and the only food we did find was covered in mold and maggots," Balistere said.
She said the largest dog weighed 10 pounds.
Kevin McCormick of Elberta Animal Hospital said his clinic has been treating seven of the dogs.
"A lot of them were matted and covered in fleas, a lot were anemic and a lot had eye problems," said McCormick. Another dog had to have a blood transfusion.
"They are all in pretty rough shape," he said.
Jenny Evans and her fiance, Drew Bravata, alerted the Humane Society about the condition of the dogs.
The couple had been living at Baker’s home, after answering an ad from Craig’s List from the Elberta woman, who was looking for kennel help in exchange for free room and board.
"We didn’t expect it to be a puppy mill," said Evans.
She said they tried helping all the sick dogs. "We went and did it from our hearts."
She said most were "severely flea infested" and hadn’t been fed. A few of the dogs were blind. Evans said the woman had a website advertising adorable toy poodles.
"Those dogs on the website were not the dogs at the house," said Evans.
In a separate animal neglect case in late January, more than neglected 100 dogs and cats were rescued from Purple Hearted Puppies in Summerdale and the Robertsdale home of one of its operators.
The owners, Roberta Downing Dueitt, 63, of Summerdale and her daughter, Sharon Nicole Dueitt, 29, of Robertsdale, are each charged with first-degree cruelty to a cat or dog, a felony, and cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor, according to Baldwin County Corrections Center records. They are free on $3,000 bail.
(Press-Register - May 1, 2012)
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