Many of the dogs did not have food or water. A 39-year-old woman, Demetria Newell, has been charged with 67 counts of animal cruelty in the case. Police said she bred the designer dogs in her home and sold them for about $500.
On Tuesday, more than 50 people hoping to adopt one of the dogs were in line at the Chicago Animal Control Facility on Western Avenue. Those dogs have since been transferred to animal shelters across the Chicagoland area: Animal Welfare League, Anti-Cruelty Society, Hinsdale Humane Society, PAWS, and Petropolis. (More information below)
Eighteen of those dogs- 12 adults and 6 puppies- were sent to PAWS Chicago, which is located in the Little Village community. They will go through complete medical exams before they're available for adoption.
"From my first cursory look, they are in remarkably good condition from what we expected," said Laura Hinze, PAWS operation manager.
One by one, the designer dogs- most of them Chihuahuas- were taken into exam rooms to be looked over by veterinary staff at PAWS. One of them, a male puppy, appears to have a number of medical problems, including an ear infection and mouth disease. The spots on his legs come from not sleeping on something soft.
"Unfortunately he does have a lot of disease in his mouth, a lot of tartar buildup… very common with this breed of dog if they're not kept up with good medical care. He has a few little spots on his feet that look like he may be lying on his legs a little bit and the hair has worn off," said Dr. Von Waldaw, veterinarian. "His knee caps don't sit in the right place and he'll need orthopedic surgery."
"We provide a full medical workup for all of the dogs we take into the adoption program," said Hinze.
The dogs located at PAWS Chicago in Little Village will eventually be transported to the adoption center on Clybourn.
Animal Welfare League
10305 Southwest Highway
Chicago Ridge, IL 60415
708.636.8586
animalwelfareleague.com
The Anti-Cruelty Society
157 W. Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 644-8338
anticruelty.org
info@anticruelty.org
Hinsdale Humane Society
22 N Elm St
Hinsdale, IL 60521
(630) 323-5630
hinsdalehumanesociety.org
Pets Are Worth Saving (PAWS)
1997 N Clybourn Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 935-7297
pawschicago.org
Petropolis
503 S. Lakeside Ct.
Round Lake, Il 60073
(847) 201-6536
www.petropolisinc.org
Adoption requirements for PAWS Chicago:
Adoption Requirements for Anti-Cruelty:
