Washington: Woman attacked by Pit Bull wants to believe the dog was somehow "traumatized" or "outright trained to be aggressive"

WASHINGTON -- Kristi Hein posted on the Facebook group page Paying Till It Hurts January 12, 2018 at 2:14am

Yesterday I was attacked by a dog. I'm OK -- I was just damn lucky that it sank its teeth into my loose sweatpants and tore a fist-size hole, its teeth only barely scraping my leg (no punctures; drawing just a little blood).

A woman had the dog on a leash -- big dog, looked rather scary -- I was walking by, 10 feet away, and trying to expand the distance, when without warning he began barking furiously and lunged, dragging her after him, to bite my leg. She was yelling "Bad" and No!" and swatting his nose and dragged him away. If she had lost hold of the leash, I would have been maimed or dead. (This realization is as frightening as the attack, which was over fast.)

This dog meant business. It meant me grievous harm. Why? Completely unprovoked. Staffordshire pit bull terrier (the cop who returned from speaking with the owner told me). Anyway, the cop who responded to my 911 call took photos and said I should get a medical checkup just for the record.

So here's the PTIH part! My PCP wasn't available, so I went to the walk-in clinic. The PA cleaned the scrape, put on antibiotic ointment, and asked if I wanted a bandage (a large band-aid); I said "Sure." Only later did I think, hmm, I wonder what that bandage will cost? $8? $15? $25? And the entire appt.? (My tetanus shot was up to date, so didn't need that.) Well, it will be the Medicare allowed amount, and I will send the bill to the woman (who lives four houses from us). (It turns out it's her son's dog, it has attacked other animals before, and they will likely euthanize it. Sad.)

Michigan: Ex-breeder Deborah Hosler, 47, to pay over $2,500, on probation after abandoning Huskies to die

MICHIGAN -- A former Monroe County dog breeder was placed on probation and ordered to pay more than $2,500 in restitution for abandoning 15 Siberian Huskies in January.

Lenawee County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Noe also ordered today that Deborah L. Hosler, 47, of Petersburg, complete 200 hours of community service and banned her from owning, possessing, or caring for any animals during her five years of probation.

Debbie Hosler pleaded guilty May 3 to abandonment of animals, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison.

But like 99.9% of animal cruelty cases, they never get the maximum that we're always told. So even though Hosler was facing "up to four years in prison" she got five years probation. She didn't even get any jail time. Boo.

According to the Toledo Blade, Hosler told the court she was unable to care for the dogs any longer and, not wanting to see them taken and euthanized, loaded them up into her vehicle and drove out to Lenawee County, Michigan, where she threw them all out of her vehicle and drove off, abandoning them to die.

Because there were so many, and they were large dogs, she likely had to make several trips back and forth from her house to the dumping site -- which would have given her plenty of time to think about what she had done to these poor dogs and stop. She could have gone back and caught the dogs she'd dumped in the first trip and brought them back home and then contacted the shelter or Husky breeders/rescues for help. But she didn't. 

Now she claims she's "taking responsibility" but she's not. She is only admitting to what we already knew -- SHE ABANDONED THESE DOGS TO DIE. 

The dogs began appearing in the Adrian area alone and in small groups Jan. 4, primarily in the area of Academy Road east of Adrian. The animal control division of the sheriff’s department began investigating and news of the huskies spread rapidly on social media.

PRIOR PROBLEMS WITH DEBORAH HOSLER

In 2006, Hosler was ticketed for owning an unlicensed dog, a violation she neglected to take care of until a Monroe County bench warrant was issued in 2008.

Five years later, Hosler’s name came up again at Monroe County Animal Control, when an anonymous tip led investigators to find more than 20 dogs kept in unsanitary outdoor kennels.

“The outside kennels were emitting a strong odor, and it was visible that the kennels had not been cleaned for a while,” a Monroe County Animal Control report detailed.

In March 2016, one of Hosler’s mastiffs escaped her facility and ran free for months before a dedicated shelter worker was able to catch him. But Hosler refused to take the dog back, and it was later adopted out of the Devoted Barn rescue in Frenchtown Township.

In June 2016, four of Ms. Hosler’s Huskies got loose and attacked chickens owned by Summerfield Township Clerk Trudy Goodin, killing five of the birds and injuring two. It was this incident that brought Ms. Hosler’s illegal operation to the township’s attention, resulting in the revocation of her Monroe County kennel license. She is facing four misdemeanor charges of dogs running loose for that incident, and could face additional charges of unlicensed dogs, Sergeant Berman said.

One of the dogs involved in the attack on chickens was noted as being thin with ribs and spine showing. A follow-up inspection at Ms. Hosler’s kennel in July showed the dogs to be in decent shape overall, though some had diarrhea and there was old feces in some of the kennels.

Ms. Hosler reportedly told the officer she was going to sell all but five of her dogs and move out of Monroe County.

The department also has a dog bite report from August, 2016, showing one of Ms. Hosler’s huskies bit her on the arm as she was trying to break up a fight between dogs.

The final activity, for which Sergeant Berman said Ms. Hosler could face an additional misdemeanor charge in Monroe County, is related to the sale of a husky puppy after the revocation of her kennel license.

Ryan Evola filed a complaint with the department in September about the condition of Ms. Hosler’s facility, and said the puppy he purchased earlier that month for $850 was sick.

Mr. Evola’s letter to the county alleged unsanitary conditions inside Ms. Hosler’s home, including a strong urine smell and feces. He said his puppy was treated for roundworms, fleas, coccidia, lice, and giardia.

A visit by an animal control officer found three huskies and a mastiff inside the home, and all were healthy. The report did not indicate any other dogs were on the property, but noted Ms. Hosler told the officer she had given the huskies away.

Who is this animal control officer? Did s/he go back to the kennels? Did s/he hear any barking? Why would they "not indicate any other dogs were on the property" unless s/he only went to the front door and were shown her personal dogs and then simply drove away. This officer needs to be investigated.

None of the 15 dogs Hosler abandoned earlier this year were licensed in Monroe County. Under the recommendations of the felony sentencing, the former breeder has forfeited the 15 huskies, as well as her own dogs, five huskies and a mastiff.

She was arrested after the dogs were found running loose in the area of Academy Road and North Wilmoth Highway east of Adrian.

She admitted to law enforcement that she dumped the animals Jan. 4 because she could no longer afford to care for the dogs and was afraid they would be seized and destroyed.

Yet she had no concern of people's livestock or pets which might be attacked and/or killed by them because the dogs were starving. She had no concern for the neighbors living in the area where she dumped these dogs that little children - long a target for Huskies due to their high prey drive - might be attacked, especially if the dogs were starving. She had no concern for the dogs which could starve to death, or be hit and killed by cars - or worse, hit and thrown into a ditch with a broken back to suffer for days before finally dying. She had no concern that these dogs, if they survived, could be shot by people thinking they were coyotes, wolves or simply because they were roaming around. 

She wasn't "afraid" they would be euthanized. Purebred dogs, as long as they don't have serious behavior problems, will get shipped off to breed-specific rescues. 

The TRUTH is that it was her EGO that resulted her in doing this. She didn't want to have to explain to people why her business failed. She didn't want other Husky breeders to know. It may also be that was selfish, too, and didn't want anyone to get her "property". But no, she had no compassion or concern for these dogs or she never would have done such a horrible thing.

“I am truly sorry about the mistake in judgment that I made,” Hosler said in Lenawee County Circuit Court on May 31, before being rebuked by Judge Margaret Noe.

“There is absolutely nothing that can be said to justify what you did and the manner in which you did it,” Judge Noe told Hosler.

With the exception of a male that was struck by a car and killed, the dogs were either adopted or placed in rescues.

Hosler had operated a breeding kennel called Hosler Huskies (also known as Hosler’s Husky Haven) from her Monroe County home.

Why wasn't her husband, Mark Hosler, arrested as well? There's no way he didn't know the conditions in the kennels were, for years, bad. There's no way he didn't know she was selling sick puppies because she wasn't bothering to clean the kennels or take the animals to the vet. For YEARS, he benefited financially from the suffering of these animals. 

Aug 29, 2011
Facing charges
Mark A. Hosler, 49, 3943 Anders Rd., Petersburg, retail fraud-third degree, disorderly person-disturbing the peace, driving with suspended license. Pretrial conference Sept. 26, 2011.

(Toledo Blade - May 31, 2017)

Earlier:

• Michigan: Five abandoned dogs rescued in Lenawee County, up to a dozen more spotted
• Michigan: Dog breeder Deborah Hosler, 47, charged in abandonment of Siberian Huskies
• Michigan: Charged with abandoning her dogs to die on the side of the road, breeder Deborah Hosler, 47, faced prior complaints

United Kingdom: Brad Powers, 51, starved his Mastiff to death. For this horrific crime, Bradley Powers will not spend one single night in jail.

UNITED KINGDOM -- Brad Powers whose starved pet had to be put down by vets has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years but will not spend one single night in jail after being gifted with a suspended prison sentence.

Cruel Bradley Powers pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering when he appeared before magistrates in Swansea, South Wales.

The 51-year-old admitted failing to investigate and address the causes of his dog’s poor bodily condition and weight loss and failing to provide proper and effective flea control.

The court heard how RSPCA officers visited his property and found an English Mastiff called Hercules was so emaciated that ”nearly every bone in his body" could be seen.

The dog was suffering a flea infestation and was in such poor condition that vets were left with no choice but to put it down. 

RSPCA inspector Leigh Summers investigated Powers and described Hercules' treatment as "one of the worst cases of neglect ever seen".

She said: "When we arrived at the property we found Hercules to be extremely skinny in one of the worst cases of neglect I have ever seen as an inspector.

“You could see nearly every bone in his body.

"As well as not treating him for his weight loss, Hercules also had to suffer with a flea infestation, something which is easily preventable.

"Although his owner has now been convicted and has been banned from keeping animals, his actions meant that Hercules lost his life and was not able to get the second chance he deserved.”

PATHETIC SENTENCE - NOT ONE SINGLE NIGHT IN JAIL

Powers, from Swansea, was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment suspended for two years.

He was also sentenced to a 10 day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and ordered to pay costs of £300 and £115 victim surcharge.

(Express UK - April 11, 2017)

Indiana: Pet owner, Gary police in dispute after dog fatally shot

INDIANA -- Nearly two weeks after a Gary police officer fatally shot a pet dog during a domestic disturbance call, the dog owner is calling for the officer’s resignation and the release of her husband from custody after he allegedly threatened to shoot law enforcement.

“I want his badge removed,” Faith Diggs, 19, of Gary, said as she stood outside the Gary Police Department on Wednesday with the support of the Black Lives Matter’s Northwest Indiana chapter.

An outraged Diggs said she largely disputes law enforcement’s account of what happened Feb. 9.

In a statement, Gary police said they received a call for service at about 4:49 a.m. to the 200 block of Central Drive after a woman called 911 to report her boyfriend had battered her. Officers approaching the home encountered a large dog, which aggressively charged at them, officials said.

The officers backed away and yelled at the dog, but it continued to charge at them. At that point, one of the officers shot the dog, officials said.

“Believing the danger too immediate and imminent, one officer discharged his weapon, shooting the animal to avoid injury or serious harm to himself or other officers,” the police statement said.

Diggs said Wednesday her dog — Simba, a 6-year-old English Mastiff — is not aggressive and was on a leash outside when officers arrived.

Police also noted how shortly after the dog was shot, a man allegedly threatened to retaliate by shooting the officers. The man continued to threaten officers and went to the extent of calling into 911 dispatch to state his intention of shooting officers, police said.

Gary police Lt. Dawn Westerfield said Maurice Diggs, 21, of Gary, faces two counts of felony intimidation in regards to the matter and actions thereafter. Court records show Diggs has been charged with intimidation/threaten with intent to engage in conduct the other person’s will and intimidation/a threat to commit a forcible felony.

Faith Diggs said Wednesday her husband was only arrested after arriving at the police station hours after the incident to speak with police. She denied Diggs threatened to hurt anyone.

According to a Gary police statement, there is evidence that the dog was not restrained by any means when the incident occurred. The dog “had a history of aggressive behavior in the past when police arrived,” police said.

Video posted by the family on social media captures events immediately after the shooting, and shows a lifeless Simba laying in Diggs’ snow-covered yard.

Police advised in the statement that “the narratives and opinion circulating (in the video) are largely speculation and conjecture, if not, purposefully false.”

Rory Turner, Faith Diggs’ sister, who was present at the time of the incident, said she and others present inside the house at the time were not aware of officers’ arrival because squad car lights and sirens were not activated.

“We didn’t even know they were outside and then we hear ‘Pow, pow, pow, pow,’” Turner said.

Gary police said they have received a rash of threats since the incident — all of which “have been recorded and have the possibility to be subject to prosecution.”

Kim McGee, with the local Black Lives Matter chapter, said Wednesday the arrest of Maurice Diggs is a way to "deflect attention" from the department’s wrongdoing in shooting the family's dog.

“Why was the dog shot (multiple times)? There are a lot of questions," McGee. “Police power is an amazing thing. They get to push their narrative.”

McGee is among those in talks with the Gary city administration about the creation of a civilian review board to serve as an independent watchdog to evaluate the actions of police in the city. Discussions are ongoing, she said.

"This is another reason why (Gary) needs a police civilian review board,” McGee said.

Gary police in a statement said "unrestrained dogs, even if not known to be aggressive, may pose a danger to the community as well as public safety officials."

"Even restrained dogs may pose a threat if not adequately restrained. As such, please always keep your pets adequately restrained on leashes, in crates or within fences while outside," police said in the release.

(NWI Times - Feb 22, 2017)

Earlier:

• Indiana: Gary police fatally shoot dog while responding to assault call

Tennessee: Five-year-old child attacked and killed by his family's Mastiffs

TENNESSEE -- A 5-year-old child was killed in a dog attack Thursday morning in Clarksville.

Emergency personnel were dispatched to Charles Thomas Road in response to an E911 call of a child who had been attacked by dogs around 8:20 a.m.

First responders located a 5-year-old male who had extensive injuries from being mauled by the family’s two dogs.

  

 

The child was transported to Tennova Medical Center where he died as a result of his injuries.

Both dogs are English Mastiffs, each less than one year old. The dogs have been placed in the custody of Montgomery County Animal Control.

Police did not say what caused the attack.

Anyone with additional information on this incident is asked to contact Detective Tim Anderson with the Clarksville Police Department (931)648-0656 ext. 5132 or the TIPS line at 645-TIPS.

(Clarksville Now - Feb 17, 2017)

Indiana: Gary police fatally shoot dog while responding to assault call

INDIANA -- A police officer fatally shot an English Mastiff early Thursday while responding to a domestic disturbance, officials said.

Gary police were dispatched about 5 a.m. to the 2000 block of Central Drive after a woman called 911 and reported she had been assaulted by her boyfriend, according to a city news release.

Officers approaching the home encountered a large dog, which aggressively charged at them, officials said. The officers backed away and yelled at the dog, but it continued to charge at them.

At that point, one of the officers shot the dog, officials said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Robin Bolde at 219-881-1209. To remain anonymous, call 866-CRIME-GP.

(NWI Times - Feb 10, 2017)

Michigan: Charged with abandoning her dogs to die on the side of the road, breeder Deborah Hosler, 47, faced prior complaints

MICHIGAN -- A Monroe County dog breeder charged with felony abandonment of animals in neighboring Lenawee County has been the subject of prior complaints with animal control.

Deborah Lynn Hosler, 47, of Anders Road in Summerfield Township, pleaded not guilty in Lenawee County District Court on Friday to a four-year felony charge of abandoning 15 Siberian huskies earlier this month.

The dogs were found running loose in the area of Academy Road and North Wilmoth Highway east of Adrian.

Her public defender, Rhonda Underwood, did not return a message from The Blade seeking comment.

Ms. Debbie Hosler has operated a breeding kennel called Hosler Huskies, also known as Hosler’s Husky Haven, from her Monroe County home since 2010, according to public records obtained by The Blade.

The county revoked her kennel license in late July, 2016, after learning Ms. Hosler had not obtained a special-use permit from Summerfield Township and was therefore running an illegal kennel.

Lenawee County Undersheriff Troy Bevier said Ms. Hosler told investigators she could no longer afford to care for the dogs and was afraid they would be seized and destroyed. She then drove the dogs into Lenawee County and dumped them Jan. 4.

“When we spoke to her, she admitted responsibility,” the undersheriff said.

She agreed in court Friday to relinquish any claim on the dogs, and Judge Jonathan Poer ordered her to find other placement for her remaining six personal dogs — five huskies and a mastiff — by Feb. 6. She is not to have control over any animal until the case is resolved.

Notice she only dumped her "breeders" to die. 

That's because they were not pets or even living creatures which have feelings and can suffer. Instead, Debbie Hosler saw them as dollar signs. Their purpose in life was to continually breed and churn out puppies she would flip for $850 apiece (which at least one buyer is on record in the media as having filed a complaint, saying his puppy was suffering from all sorts of ailments). 

Say, for example, she were financially destitute, desperate and not thinking clearly. She would have dumped ALL of the dogs, not just her "breeding stock". But by choosing to keep her personal pets that lived in the house with her - whereas the breeders were locked away in kennels away from the house - she has outed herself as a cold, calculating, devious animal abuser who abandoned these dogs to die. 

Monroe County Animal Control did not have record of any licenses for Ms. Hosler’s current dogs.

In April, 2006, Ms. Hosler received tickets for an unlicensed dog running loose in Cambridge Township, according to Lenawee County court records.

She failed to appear for a pretrial hearing, and was later picked up in Monroe County on a bench warrant in July, 2008. She resolved the matter by paying the associated fines.

Monroe County records show animal control there has encountered Ms. Hosler on several previous occasions.

In April, 2013, the department received a complaint claiming her dogs were being kept in unsanitary conditions. An officer found 20 dogs — primarily husky puppies — inside a clean house. Twenty-three more dogs were held in dirty outdoor kennels.

“The outside kennels were emitting a strong odor and was visible that the kennels had not been clean for a while,” a report states.

On subsequent follow-up visits, Ms. Hosler had cleaned the kennels and installed new rubber flooring.

“Our intent is always to educate and gain compliance,” Sgt. Greg Berman, head of the department, said.

In early March, a mastiff identified as being owned by Ms. Hosler was reported running loose in Petersburg.

“It had gotten away from her and was allowed to run free for several weeks,” according to a report from county animal control.

Melissa Borden of the Devoted Barn rescue in Frenchtown Township said she spent approximately three months earning the dog’s trust and captured him June 6. Ms. Hosler never reclaimed the dog, Ms. Borden said, and he was rehabilitated and adopted into a new home.

Ms. Borden also helped trap one of the huskies abandoned near Adrian. The female, since named Sylvia, was caught Sunday, taken to the Devoted Barn, and reported to authorities. She is reportedly very underweight.

“She is skin and bones,” Ms. Borden said. “She did not get this way in the week and a half she was loose.”

The rescue is actively working to trap two more huskies reported running loose in the same area, which would bring the total number of huskies involved in the ongoing case to 17 if they are confirmed to have come from Ms. Hosler’s kennel.

Undersheriff Bevier said any additional dogs found would likely be included in the ongoing case.

“If we find out there’s more, unless we can specifically tie it to a completely different date [of abandonment], this will all be part of the same incident,” he said.

In June last year, four of Ms. Hosler’s huskies got loose and attacked chickens owned by Summerfield Township Clerk Trudy Goodin, killing five of the birds and injuring two.

It was this incident that brought Ms. Hosler’s illegal operation to the township’s attention, resulting in the revocation of her Monroe County kennel license. She is facing four misdemeanor charges of dogs running loose for that incident, and could face additional charges of unlicensed dogs, Sergeant Berman said.

One of the dogs involved in the attack on chickens was noted as being thin with ribs and spine showing. A follow-up inspection at Ms. Hosler’s kennel in July showed the dogs to be in decent shape overall, though some had diarrhea and there was old feces in some of the kennels.

Ms. Hosler reportedly told the officer she was going to sell all but five of her dogs and move out of Monroe County.

The department also has a dog bite report from August, 2016, showing one of Ms. Hosler’s huskies bit her on the arm as she was trying to break up a fight between dogs.

The final activity, for which Sergeant Berman said Ms. Hosler could face an additional misdemeanor charge in Monroe County, is related to the sale of a husky puppy after the revocation of her kennel license. Ryan Evola filed a complaint with the department in September about the condition of Ms. Hosler’s facility, and said the puppy he purchased earlier that month for $850 was sick.

Mr. Evola’s letter to the county alleged unsanitary conditions inside Ms. Hosler’s home, including a strong urine smell and feces. He said his puppy was treated for roundworms, fleas, coccidia, lice, and giardia.

A visit by an animal control officer found three huskies and a mastiff inside the home, and all were healthy. The report did not indicate any other dogs were on the property, but noted Ms. Hosler told the officer she had given the huskies away.

Ms. Hosler was arrested Thursday on the Lenawee County charge, and released on her own recognizance. She is due back in court for a hearing Feb. 1, followed by a preliminary examination Feb. 6.

One of the surviving dogs has a leg injury that may require surgery, and they all have intestinal worms, Undersheriff Bevier said.

The dogs are being cared for in several locations across the county, and the department has secured rescue placement or adoptive homes for all of them as soon as they can be released from custody, he added.

(Toledo Blade - Jan 20, 2017)

Earlier:

• Michigan: Five abandoned dogs rescued in Lenawee County, up to a dozen more spotted
• Michigan: Dog breeder Deborah Hosler, 47, charged in abandonment of Siberian Huskies

Michigan: Dog breeder Deborah Hosler, 47, charged in abandonment of Siberian Huskies

MICHIGAN -- A Petersburg woman has been accused of abandoning 15 Siberian Husky dogs earlier this month east of Adrian.

Deborah Lynn Hosler, 47, of Petersburg was arraigned Friday in Lenawee County District Court on one count of felony abuse or neglect of animals. It is punishable by up to four years in prison.

 

Her personal recognizance bond was modified to require that she find people to take care of the six dogs she still has at home — five Siberian Huskies and an English mastiff — while the case proceeds.

District Judge Jonathan L. Poer originally gave her three days to place the dogs with others, but after consulting with Hosler’s attorney, Rhonda Underwood of the Lenawee County Public Defender’s Office, and Lenawee County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Scott Baker, Poer agreed to order her to find new homes for the dogs by the time of her preliminary examination, 1 p.m. on Feb. 6.

 

She has until Feb. 1, which is the date of her first preliminary hearing, to provide information to the court about where the dogs will be placed.

“We have serious concerns about the animals in her care and custody,” Baker told Poer.

 

Through Underwood, Hosler agreed to forfeit the abandoned Huskies. Baker told the court that the law allows for a civil forfeiture in cases like this, and Poer said he would sign an order allowing the dogs to be adopted out.

New homes have been found for all of the dogs, according to a news release from the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Department.

  

 

The investigation started after Lenawee County Central Dispatch began receiving several calls of huskies running loose in the area of Academy Road and North Wilmoth Highway, the news release said.

With the help of residents in the area, all but one of the dogs was rounded up and taken to be cared for at various locations. The one that wasn’t had been struck and killed by a vehicle.

 

 

 

The Huskies were linked to Debbie Hosler after citizens began sharing information on social media and the tips passed along to the sheriff’s department’s animal control officer, the news release said.

According to the news release, Debbie Lynn Hosler admitted to investigators on Jan. 4 that she transported the 15 huskies to Lenawee County and released them in a rural area after her kennel in Petersburg was closed in September. She said she feared the huskies would be destroyed and she could no longer afford to house them, the news release said.

 

(Daily Telegram News - Jan 20, 2017)

Earlier:

• Michigan: Five abandoned dogs rescued in Lenawee County, up to a dozen more spotted

Michigan: Five abandoned purebred Siberian Huskies rescued in Lenawee County, up to a dozen more spotted. Breeder Deborah Hosler has been accused of doing it.

MICHIGAN -- At least five abandoned dogs were rescued and up to a dozen more have been reported seen wandering in the bitter cold in Lenawee County this week, but where they came from and who owned them is unknown.

As the owners of Rogers Recycling in Blissfield, Jakob and Andrea Rogers are used to finding odd objects at their center. However, around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, Jan. 4, Jakob says he came across four dogs in the road near the intersection of Gorman Road and Crockett Highway.

Blissfield is about 70 miles southwest of Detroit.

Jakob Rogers said he called 911 when he first saw the dogs because another dog had been hit and killed in the area and he didn't want it to happen again. He wasn't expecting the answer that he received.

"Basically I got a laugh and they said, 'Animal control can be there in three days if you can catch them,'" he said.

He says the dogs were in bad shape and appeared to have been searching for warmth when he came upon them. He spent about an hour getting the dogs together before loading them into his vehicle.

Once the dogs realized there was a warm car and shelter, they jumped right in, he said.

The dogs all appear to be a breed of Husky, but the exact breed is not known.

Rogers took the dogs back to his shop where he and Andrea put them in a garage to provide shelter while they figured out what to do. A few hours later, he heard about another dog in the same area and he went back to round that dog up as well.

"They're just a little bit skittish because they haven't got used to us yet," he said.

Although they've made calls to the Lenawee County Sheriff's Department, Rogers says he's yet to receive any response so he's begun working to find homes for the dogs. All five of the dogs are being cared for now at the Rogers' home, but it's taken a bit of time to get everything needed as they weren't expecting to have five new guests at the home.

Andrea Rogers said they've made beds for the dogs and brought food and water out for them as they acclimate to the garage for the time being. The oldest male has already visited a veterinarian and they plan to get a female dog - who is also pregnant - in for a visit in the coming days.

Along with the five dogs Rogers found, people in Facebook groups around Lenawee County have reported seeing or taking in dogs of similar breeds in the last day or so. But it is unknown exactly how many dogs have been found at this point.

Sightings of similar dogs have been as far apart as 10 miles from where Jakob Rogers found his group of dogs.

The Lenawee County Sheriff's Department and the LCSD Animal Control could not be reached for comment.

For now, Rogers plans on making sure the dogs are healthy while seeking out people to take them in. He says he already has two or three people who're interested in welcoming one of the dogs into their home.

"We're not going to just let them go to any home, but we're not going to sell them, either," Andrea said. "We don't want to make money off the dogs, we just want them to go to a good home."

The Rogers' plan on keeping two of the dogs themselves and giving away the puppies once they're born.

"I'm just glad that we were able to take them in and we had some place that we could put them," Andrea Rogers said.

As far as finding who the dogs belonged to, Jakob Rogers says he believes they were left on the side of the road on purpose and if the owner is found, they should be punished.

"Whoever did this, needs to be prosecuted. They need to answer for this," he said.

Update: The owner, dog breeder Deborah Lynn Hosler (Debbie Hosler), has been charged.

 

  

 

(MLive - Jan 5, 2017)