PLEASANT GARDEN, N.C.—
Sheriff's deputies along with animal officials removed 98 dogs from a Pleasant Garden kennel Wednesday after an investigation revealed numerous health problems with animals purchased from the breeder.According to Sheriff BJ Barnes, the Guilford County Sheriff's Office, animal shelter and animal control had received multiple complaints from people who had purchased dogs from Rush Kennels, located at 6324 Maplewood St.
The complainants said their animals were diagnosed with multiple health problems that, in many cases, resulted in death.
The sheriff's office conducted an undercover investigation into the kennel, purchasing a dog that was then found to have a life-threatening disease and a birth defect, the sheriff's office said. The dog later died of what are believed to be the same diseases and infections others had complained of. Sheriff Barnes says many of the dogs had hook worms, mange and other health problems from neglect and mistreatment.
"There were some that had been over utilized as breeders and actually had parts of their internal organs that were hanging out." Barnes said.
On Thursday, deputies searched the kennel and seized 98 dogs, which were moved to the Guilford County Animal Shelter. Two of the dogs had emergency surgery Friday.
Julie Kimsey of High Point bought two puppies at Rush Kennels last summer, and she said she wasn't allowed to tour the property.
"I thought it was kind of weird that no one was invited back in the back, that you couldn't see the birthing room or the nursing room where the dogs were kept." Kimsey said.
Kimsey brought her dogs to a vet, and she says they are healthy, but she says she had problems getting her paperwork from Rush Kennel.
"They're supposed to be brother and sister, but the paperwork was wrong. It said the boy dog had been born in May and this was just August and I definitely did not have a three-month-old dog in the backyard. He was a six-month-old or better dog, and they had two different mothers." Kimsey said.
The owner of Rush Kennels, Sheila Rush, and a dog caretaker, Robert Landreth, have not yet been charged because the sheriff's office is still gathering evidence, but they say animal cruelty and fraud charges are likely.
Landreth, who works at Rush Kennel, told FOX8 that the seized dogs were healthy and that Rush is working with her attorney to get her dogs back.
