WBTW-TV: News, Weather, and Sports for Florence, SC Last week, a raid on a puppy mill located in Conway, South Carolina, ended with almost 150 dogs being taken by the Horry County Animal Control and owner Renee James, 49, being charged with failure to “proper care and treatment of animals,”reported AJ Janavel for News13. The police received complaints about the animals in James’s care, which led to the investigation, says Horry County Animal Care. According News13, James sold the dogs at Pet Safari, a pet store she owns in Conway. They fined her $445 for the incident.
This is not the first time James has been charged with animal mistreatment. Last year, she was shut down. This means, according to the Gary Gause, director of the Horry County Animal Care Center, she was able to breed 120 dogs in just a year. According to Animal Control, the dogs “are in relatively good condition and some that needed more help and foster were transferred to a group capable of that.” The hard part, says the officers who were at the scene, was watching the terrified dogs, who had never walked on solid ground before—they had been living in stacked cages. The police department told News13 that James is facing 123 charges of animal cruelty.
A Strain on the Shelter
The hardest part is the sheer number of dogs. Each dog was given three vaccines upon arrival, and some are pregnant, which means 146 is not the final count.
The shelter’s capacity is 250 and once they reach that number, they do euthanize.
Consider Adopting
If you are looking for a dog, please consider one of these puppies or adults. They are beautiful and some of the more popular small breeds including Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, English bulldog mixes and poodle mixes.
To adopt, go to the Horry County Facebook page, as they will be posting the dogs as they become available. You can also visit the Horry County Animal Control Center at 1923 Industrial Park Rd, Conway, SC 29526 or call (843) 915-5172. (H/T: wbtw.com)
