Nearly 30 cute puppies and emaciated dogs have been rescued from a home in Virginia and police have arrested a 71-year-old suspect.
The incident took place on the 1500 block of Eagle View Drive located in the Goodview area of Bedford County, in the south-eastern US state of Virginia, on Tuesday, 25th January.
The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office released a statement saying that officers had found the dogs in “poor living conditions” and adding that they were “malnourished”.
They Sheriff’s Office said: “On 1/25/22 the Bedford County Sheriff’s received a tip from Central Virginia Crime Stoppers and also the Humane Society in reference to possible animal hoarding and cruelty occurring at a residence on the 1500 block of Eagle View Drive located in the Goodview area of Bedford County.
“Animal Control Deputies arrived at the residence to find approximately 26 dogs in and around the residence in poor living conditions and malnourished. Deputies then secured and served a search warrant for the property to recover the animals and get them treated.”
The police said that they received assistance from a local animal protection organisation, saying: “With the help of the nonprofit organization ‘Friends of Bedford County Animal Shelter’ and Dr Ryan at Riverside Veterinarian Clinic assisting in this investigation, Deputies were able to transport all of the animals away from the scene to receive treatment and be housed.”
The police also announced the arrest of a suspect, saying: “The suspect in this case, Thomas Duggins, age 71 of Goodview Virginia was arrested on scene and at this time charged with 10 counts of animal neglect. This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges may be sought at the completion.”
The police also thanked members of the public for alerting them to the situation and allowing them to take action. They said: “The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the public for alerting us to this situation so we could step in and help the helpless.
“This large-scale rescue could not have been possible without the assistance of Dr. Ryan at the Riverside Veterinary Clinic and the ‘Friends of Bedford County Animal Shelter’.
“This is just the beginning for these rescued animals, and they will require additional care and treatment, so if anyone in the public would like to help, ‘friends of Bedford County Animal Shelter’ are a nonprofit and accept donations which would be put to good use helping these animals.”
Friends of Bedford County Animal Shelter has confirmed that a total of 29 dogs were rescued from the property.
