January 2023, Michigan — Local authorities seized 78 rescue dogs living in poor condition in a constricted 600 ft residential house in Muskegon County.
Norton Shores Police Department carried out a search after Pound Buddies' Lana Carson reported that the dog rescue Cober's Canine Rescue had its dogs living in dire conditions.
Director Carson said she received tips from concerned residents that the dogs adopted from the rescue were either sick or scarred with visible skin issues.
Their initial investigation, where they discovered the deplorable condition of the place, led to a search warrant and the arrest of the rescue owner, Lisa Cober.
Harbor Humane's Jen Self-Aulgur also expressed her sympathies with the dogs and the poor state they were in before they were rescued.
“Some of the animals were in crates so small, they could barely turn around,” Self-Aulgur said. “These dogs were just sitting in their own feces and urine.”
More than 50 of the rescued dogs went into Pound Buddies‘ custody while Harbor Humane sheltered the remaining 20 dogs rescued from Cober's Canine Rescue.
Carson also noted that some dogs that the Pound Buddies sheltered were sick so they needed to be quarantined first.
“When you have concerns that are going to potentially substantially contaminate the rest of your animals, great care has to go into isolating these animals and making sure that the staff that's working in there, the animals, the laundry, everything that goes into caring for those animals doesn't leave that animal or that housing or that area, and that proper sanitation protocols are followed to a T,” Carson said.
Meanwhile, Lisa Cober was charged with animal neglect and had been called to court in Muskegon County District Court.
Records and police files also show that Cober had been charged with animal cruelty to 25 or more animals.
She will face the charge with a maximum of seven years in prison and a bond of $1,000.
Watch the actual rescue below:
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