Investigation continues into case of 22 dogs at home

By: JO MORELAND - Staff Writer | Friday, March 9, 2007 11:54 PM PST ∞

OCEANSIDE ---- Police had to force their way into a tract house to investigate 22 dogs living in squalid conditions in Oceanside, authorities said Friday.

Once inside on March 2, they said, police and city code compliance staff, as well as employees and animal control officers of the North County Humane Society & the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found one man and the black Labrador retrievers among feces, broken glass, scattered paper and lots of litter.

Lindsay Hood, Humane Society spokeswoman, said the man denied living at the house, where there was one bowl of food for the dogs and no water.

"All we know is that the property owner is in a nursing home, so he does not live there," said Hood.

Julie Bank, Humane Society executive director, said there are several people involved in the situation and none of them are claiming ownership of either the dogs or the property.

"We're still a little unclear on all of that," Bank said.

All of the dogs were removed that day. Authorities said they have been vaccinated, given medical checkups, and they're still at the Humane Society's shelter in Oceanside.

"They're all a little shy," Bank said. "Some of them were malnourished . . . definitely underweight. But none of them were at the point of dying."

Some dogs stunk and needed cleaning, she said.

Officials said no arrests had been made as the investigation continues.

Neighbors started complaining about the Jeffries Ranch home a year ago, and most of those early complaints involved a house that wasn't being taken care of, Bank said. The location of the house wasn't released.

"But at the same time, there were animals that were in the house that weren't being cared for," said Bank. "It's only been now that we were able to get access to the property."

That was made possible when code compliance officers obtained an inspection warrant, she said. By then, Bank said, neighbors had also complained about dogs not receiving proper care in the home.

When the warrant was served, there was somebody in the house who wouldn't come to the door, said Sgt. Leonard Mata, Oceanside police spokesman.

"We were there to assist code enforcement with the warrant service," Mata said. "It got to the point where entry needed to be enforced, so they called police. We did have to force entry."

Bank said the situation is not one of the worst cases the Humane Society has seen, "but any animal abuse or animal neglect case is a bad thing."

"Animal neglect is a serious issue in our community," she said. "It's not OK to just look the other way."

The dogs are being held for 15 days while officers investigate alleged code violations and the dogs' care.

If no one claims the animals, after the holding period the dogs will be evaluated and made available for adoption, the Humane Society said.

In the meantime, Bank said, the dogs are taking up a lot of space at the shelter.

The Humane Society is accepting donations of canned dog food or cash, as well as calls from anyone interested in eventually adopting the dogs.

Donations may be made to the North County Humane Society at 2905 San Luis Rey Road, Oceanside, CA 92054.

Anyone interested in adopting a dog can call the shelter at (760) 757-4357.

Contact staff writer Jo Moreland at (760) 740-3524 or jmoreland@nctimes.com.

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