A dog and 11 puppies were found dead in a kitchen freezer -- individually wrapped in plastic bags -- and 60 other dogs were rescued this week from what SPCA of Texas officials alleged was a puppy mill.
The animals were found Wednesday in a home in Canton, Texas, about 60 miles east of Dallas, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Dogs “roamed the urine-soaked, feces-filled house with little to no access to food or water,” the SCPA said in a news release.
In one room, nursing mothers and their litters were found in small, plastic and wire cages in a closet, the statement said.
The animals also were suffering from fur loss, long nails, matted fur, eye and ear issues and other health problems, KHOU-TV reported.
The seizure followed an investigation into the alleged puppy mill after the SCPA of Texas’ Animal Cruelty division received a March 1 complaint, the report said.
The animals’ owner told authorities the animals were being sold for profit, the SPCA told the newspaper.
It is unclear whether the owner had a commercial breeding license, but all large-scale animal breeders in Texas are required by law to be licensed and have their sites regularly inspected, the station reported.
The dogs were taken to the SPCA’s Dallas facility for medical care. A hearing to determine their custody was set for March 23 at the Van Zandt County courthouse.
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