Canada: Puppy mill operator dumps dogs around town after Animal Control leaves note at her house

CANADA -- Charges are pending against a Windsor woman after the local humane society rescued seven shih tzu-type dogs from a suspected puppy mill on Bonita Street and took in seven dogs more that had come from that house but were found dumped in the street.

The dogs were all filthy. One male shih tzu had almost seven pounds of excrement dried in clumps resembling rocks hanging from its overgrown fur. He was one of the seven dogs dumped in various locations in Windsor and Tecumseh after the owner learned the humane society was after her.

The Windsor/Essex County Humane Society, with backup from Windsor police, raided a home on the street south of Division Road between Provincial and Walker roads Friday. A day earlier, a humane society officer visited the home after receiving information about dogs being kept in poor conditions.

The officer could hear dogs barking inside, but no one answered the door. The officer left a note and went about to secure a search warrant.

After finding the note, the operator of the suspected puppy mill gathered up eight of the 15 dogs in the house and dumped them in locations throughout Windsor and Tecumseh. She dumped two in Tecumseh along South Talbot Road, two at Devonwood Conservation Area and another four in the west end near Broadway Boulevard and Matchette Road. One of the dogs dumped in the west end has yet to be found.

Photo: Dax Melmer, Windsor Star

When workers entered the house Friday, they found seven dogs — six adults and one puppy — living in “filthy conditions,” said Melanie Coulter, the humane society’s executive director.

Coulter said workers quickly suspected the filthy dogs found as strays throughout the day were connected to the puppy mill.

“Friday morning we started getting all these horrible-looking dogs from different locations,” Coulter said. The dogs’ fur was matted with excrement and they appeared to have never been groomed. At least one — a black male shih tzu — was barely recognizable as a dog. All the dogs have dental problems.

Coulter said officers identified the dogs’ owner and interviewed her Saturday. “She advised she had abandoned the other dogs that were found.”

The locations the woman identified matched areas where the animals had been picked up. An animal control officer went out Sunday to locate two dogs that were unaccounted for. One was found.

Still missing is a black shih tzu-like dog with overgrown fur. It has a condition known as cherry eye, a disorder that results in a mass of tissue protruding from the inside corner of the eye.

The investigation to date shows the woman was breeding the dogs, Coulter said. She advertised them as Shih Tzus, Yorkshire terriers (Yorkies) and Havanese dogs.

Humane society workers spent the weekend assessing and grooming the dogs. The dogs are all extremely skittish, Coulter said. “Obviously they are going to need special homes,” Coulter said. “They are not socialized.”

Photo: Dax Melmer, Windsor Star

Coulter said they groomed the dirtiest dogs first. The dog found with seven pounds of dried excrement on him was shaved and bathed Saturday. On Sunday, he spent some time on the front lawn of the humane society with behavioural specialist Tracy Calsavara. The dog at first remained crouched, quivering with fear. After Calsavara softly rubbed his shaved fur and massaged his head for a few minutes, he climbed onto her lap and tucked his body against her.

Coulter said the investigation into the Bonita Street operation continues. Anyone with information is asked to call the humane society at 519-966-5751 or Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477.

(Windsor Star - June 12, 2016)