Law enforcement officers, state officials and animal rescue teams worked overnight Monday to remove the dogs from Add Love Pets in Stroud.
"This rescue was one of the worst that we have ever been requested to help with on a law enforcement seizure," Humane Society of Tulsa wrote in a social media post Tuesday morning. "It was horrific!! We do not use that word lightly."
The dogs were being kept in a roughly 50-foot by 50-foot building next to a grocery store. The Humane Society of Tulsa said the facility had high ammonia levels, overcrowded enclosures, and cockroaches and rats running over the dogs.
Volunteer-run animal rescues Skiatook Paws & Claws and Oklahoma Westie Rescue had been calling attention to the situation on social media since Saturday.
Bailey Brugger with Oklahoma Westie Rescue said they had been in contact with the breeder about taking around 60 of his dogs, but were shocked by the conditions they saw. Brugger said they contacted law enforcement, elected officials and state agencies. Stroud residents stepped up to do the same.
"If you run into a situation like this, report it to big rescues, report it to law enforcement," Brugger said. "We are more than willing to be that voice."
The dogs are staying with local rescues, but they aren't adoptable yet. They may become adoptable later, after some legal matters have been resolved.
The breeder, Add Love Pets, LLC, has been registered with the state of Oklahoma since 2007 and under the ownership of a man named Jerry Hine since 2013.
Oklahoma pet breeding operations are required to receive annual state inspections, which have been under the purview of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry since 2012.
An ODAFF spokesperson said the final decision to seize the dogs rested with local law enforcement agencies, which decided to act after an inspection this week.
Hine, who is 84 years old, was arrested on charges of animal cruelty and booked at the Lincoln County Jail.
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Department, Humane Society of Tulsa and Skiatook Paws & Claws did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
An ODAFF spokesperson declined to answer questions about Add Love Pets inspection and violation history without a records request.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
