This dog was among the 136 dogs seized from a Pierce County puppy mill over the weekend. Photo courtesy of Renegade Paws Rescue
A state investigation into a south Georgia puppy mill is ongoing after law enforcement officers with the Georgia Department of Agriculture seized 136 dogs Sunday and shut down the facility in Pierce County.
The name of the kennel had not been released as of Thursday because the case is still open and charges may be filed, according to agency spokesperson Matthew Agvent. The dogs were described as “neglected.”
The department’s law enforcement division received a tip alleging animal abuse at a kennel in southeast Georgia. Officers joined state inspectors to check out the property and found violations of rules and regulations and state law, allowing them to obtain a search warrant.
The agency’s previously disbanded law enforcement arm was reestablished by current Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, a Republican who took office in 2023.
“I am incredibly proud of the work our law enforcement team did to remove these dogs and address this situation,” Harper said in a statement Thursday.
“Our Law Enforcement Division is working every day to send a clear message that crime in Georgia’s agricultural sector – from animal abuse to drug and labor trafficking and everything in between – will not be tolerated,” he said.
The dogs are a variety of mostly small breeds, like Shih Tzus, Maltese and Boston Terriers. They are being fostered and rehomed through local rescue groups like Savannah-based Renegade Paws Rescue, which helped about 50 of the dogs.
In an online post attempting to raise funds to support the dogs’ ongoing care, Renegade Paws Rescue described some of the dogs as having rotten teeth, open sores on their paws and matted coats.
Jennifer Taylor, the group’s executive director and founder, said she was limited in what she could say about the Pierce County case.
But Taylor said big cases like this further strain a shelter system that is already facing a “huge crisis” with overcrowding, especially when it comes to finding homes for larger dogs.
“It’s always challenging to find placement for 50 dogs. The good news for these dogs is they’re small, so that makes it a little bit easier,” Taylor said.
“But it is very difficult for our big dogs, so now we have to try to place our big dogs because there are more that need to be saved every day,” she said.
Other rescue groups involved in helping the dogs seized in Pierce County are K9 Battle Buddies, Allmon’s All About Animals, Liberty County Animal Services, the Humane Society of Greater Savannah and the Atlanta Humane Society.
“These innocent animals were found living in heartbreaking conditions: confined to wire cages, living each minute out in the freezing cold, their matted fur soaked in urine and feces, and deprived of basic veterinary care,” the Atlanta Humane Society posted on its website.
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