"This is the best day of my life. I got the call, I got a little nauseous and then I got to work," said Lynette Duford of Life Savers Animal Rescue.
It was a day Duford had waited for. Car after car pulled into the driveway of LDR Kennels north of Saint Ignatius Friday afternoon, bringing crates to take more than 100 dogs away.
Larry and Nadine Latzke lost ownership of the dogs in deal with Lake County prosecutors after the couple was charged with aggravated animal cruelty back in July.
The case began when a judge granted a search warrant for LDR kennels. Sheriff's deputies took 11 dogs away -- those with extremely matted fur, rotten teeth and or bad skin conditions..
"A long drawn out prosecution would have taken a considerable amount of time, so with the resources in mind, this was the quickest resolution to the matter," said Lake County Undersheriff Ben Woods.
The Sheriff's Office says most of the dogs are chipped so that will be used as animal teams catalog them, identify their breed and get them vet care before the next step of adoption.
"They are very stressed right now; it's a stressful situation even though we are in there getting them out so we're trying to be conscious of that and go slow," Duford said.
“These are not healthy dogs by any stretch of the imagination. They’re sick, they have skin infections, they have poor nutrition and they are stressed,” said Duford, “I don’t know if they’re vaccinated because he refused to show us any records.”
Because the dogs have no vaccination records, Life Savers is treating them as if they have never been vaccinated.
Duford said they have rotten teeth, paws that are sensitive from being forced to stand on chicken wire their entire life, low muscle tone, and skin conditions. Some females have mammary tumors and a number of dogs are currently pregnant.
“The challenge that we are having right now, is we put little bowls of water in for them and they just dump them. They’ve never had a bowl of water, they don’t know how to drink out of the bowl of water, they are only used to the little rabbit water feeders that hang n the cage because they all had automatic water-ers at the kennels,” said Duford, “So now we’re scrambling to find the little rabbit water feeders so that they can do what they know and what they’re used to and make sure they stay hydrated.”
The dogs have never had a bed and when given on for the first time, had no idea what to do with it. Many of the dogs chose to sleep on the ground next to their beds because it is what they are used to.
The Latzke's are allowed to keep six personal dogs but must have them spayed and neutered. It's part of a 10 year agreement with prosecutors who will dismissed the charges against them if they comply.
The dogs are heading to four different locations -- in Polson, Missoula and Bigfork.
We will let you know more about the adoption process once that's figured out. Life Savers Animal Rescue says it could use donations to care for the more than 100 dogs. Click here to help out.
Earlier:
- Montana: Lake County Deputy refuses to take no for answer from puppy mill operators Larry and Nadine Latzke; gets search warrant and saves animals
- Montana: One person's experience from buying one of Larry and Nadine Latzke's puppy mill dogs
- Montana: Consumers complaints about Larry and Nadine Latzke (LDR Kennels) go back YEARS
- Montana: Puppy mill owners Larry and Nadine Latzke of LDR Kennels appear in court amid demonstrators
- Montana: Larry Latzke, Nadine Latzke agree to 10 years probation, will surrender all their puppy mill dogs and puppies
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