Nearly six dozen purebred Maltese have gone from the dog house to puppy paradise.
The 68 young, old and pregnant petite white dogs were treated to a spa day at the Winnipeg Humane Society Thursday to get washed and pawshed to look their best for adoption.
The grand grooming event was arranged a day after Winnipeg Animal Services staff donned hazmat suits and rescued the dogs from shockingly filthy conditions inside a Richmond West home.
NICOLE BUFFIE / FREE PRESS
Dogs receive a much-needed grooming at the Winnipeg Humane Society Thursday after being rescued from a feces and urine-laden home in Fort Richmond late Tuesday night.
It was the largest seizure of animals in Winnipeg’s history.
Humane Society CEO Jessica Miller said the phone has been “ringing off the hook” as people inquire about adoption.
“To have the community stand behind us like they do every time something like this happens… I’m so thankful,” Miller said Thursday afternoon.
The shelter had to convert its training room to a makeshift salon to bathe and groom the seized dogs with the help of nine volunteer groomers from city PetSmart stores.
The Humane Society put out a call for volunteers to help with the mountain of laundry that needed to be done. Baskets of blankets and towels lined the halls outside examination rooms and there were piles of dog food and toys overflowing in the donation area of the lobby.
Winnipeg Police Service officers discovered the pack of mange-riddled and matted dogs while conducting a wellness check at at the home on Brentlawn Boulevard late Tuesday night.
“Layers” of urine and feces inside forced the police officers to cover their noses while entering the house, a nearby resident who witnessed the seizure told the Free Press.
The neighbour had no idea the homeowner was keeping that many dogs.
“I bet those dogs have never seen the light of day,” she said Thursday.
NICOLE BUFFIE / FREE PRESS
The Humane Society says the phone has been “ringing off the hook” as people inquire about adopting the rescued dogs.
The puppies are a product of inbreeding, and at least three of the adult females are pregnant, Miller said.
But all 68 are expected to make it out of the shelter and into adoption in good health, she said, noting while a few are skittish, they all seem to be in good spirits.
“When we have animals that are so shut down from these seizure situations, it’s really hard to get a re-home,” she said. “The fact that these guys are this social with barely any human presence, or even going outside, is amazing.”
WPS spokesperson Cst. Claude Chancy said the owner will not face any criminal charges, but could be fined under the city’s Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw.
Miller speculated the situation was the result of someone who “got themselves in over their heads.”
“Unfortunately, some people are not aware of the importance of spay and neuter,” she said. “Should we have known about it sooner we could have worked with the person.”
The owner likely got overwhelmed and hid the animals to avoid legal repercussions, she said.
The bylaw limits city residents to owning a maximum of four dogs and two cats.
“In cases where people call us in to help when they’re already in a bad situation, we will work with them. We do not want to charge people, we want to help people,” she said.
NICOLE BUFFIE / FREE PRESS
Winnipeg Humane Society director of investigations Andrew Clarke speaks to media Thursday afternoon about Tuesday’s rescue of 68 dogs from a home in Fort Richmond, the largest seizure of dogs in the city’s history.
Animal Services manager Leland Gordon said he expects the homeowner will be fined.
Andrew Clarke, the director of investigations for the Humane Society, which operates under Manitoba’s Animal Care Act, said the investigation didn’t meet the threshold to be referred to the province for charges, but didn’t downplay the severity of the case.
“This is significant,” he said. “This would be significant in any major city in Canada.”
As of Thursday afternoon the Humane Society had raised more than $79,000 to be used in caring for the rescues, surpassing its goal of $75,000 in under 24 hours.
Total care for the animals is expected to exceed $150,000.
nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca
Nicole Buffie
Multimedia producer
Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk.
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