ISLE OF WIGHT CO., Va. — The Isle of Wight County Sheriff's Office seized dozens of abused animals — mostly dogs — from a Carrollton home on Wednesday, the sheriff's office says.
Animal control officers and deputies executed a search warrant at a home in the 13000 block of Smiths Neck Road after the sheriff's office received multiple tips about the owner allegedly breeding and selling animals, as well as concerns for the welfare of the animals at the home, officials say.
The sheriff's office says they have seized about 44 animals: all of them were dogs except for four mini horses and an adult horse.
"We had received multiple tips recently about abused animal cruelty going on there from people who went there to purchase animals. They were breeding the dogs to sell," Deputy Alecia Paul said. "We’re not sure what she was doing with the horses. She had one small horse that looked to be skinny. You could see the horses ribs."
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The animals were underfed and lived in inadequate conditions, the sheriff's office says. Officials added that many animals look very thin, and all of them are believed to have parasitic infections.
"The conditions of the water that was there and the conditions they were living in is unacceptable. They appear to all have some sort of parasitic infections, worms and different parasites," Paul said.
The sheriff's office did not share information about the owner of the home. They said a custody hearing will take place in the next 10 days, where they'll seek to have the ownership of the animals relinquished.
Charges are pending following the hearing, the sheriff's office says.
The sheriff's office says they're looking for citizens willing to foster the animals once they're deemed healthy. Details on fostering opportunities will be provided at a later date.
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