Dozens of dogs rescued from 'deplorable conditions' at Litchfield Park home

Litchfield Park 'puppy mill' suspects could face dozens of charges, MCSO says

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says the homeowners at the center of an apparent puppy mill in Litchfield Park could face dozens of criminal charges. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has the latest on this case.

LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. - More than 70 dogs were seized from a Litchfield Park home on Tuesday after Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) detectives found the animals living in what they described as "deplorable conditions."

What we know:

MCSO said the investigation began with a tip from someone on Facebook. The case was worked on throughout the week, culminating in a search warrant being executed on the property on Sept. 2.

The dogs were brought out of the home on Oregon Avenue, near Jackrabbit Trail and Camelback Road – many were Goldendoodles. There were also puppies inside the home who are weeks old.

 The homeowner had allegedly been selling "designer dogs" on Facebook for the past two and a half years.

MCSO says the homeowner and her husband were reportedly staying in a casita behind the house, allowing conditions inside the main home to become life-threatening.

Detectives said there were feces throughout the house, dogs were piled in crates, and they even found what they believe to be the remains of a dog. The odor from the neglect was noticeable from the street.

MCSO says a total of 71 dogs were rescued, and one dog was found dead.

71 dogs rescued from 'deplorable conditions' in Arizona

After receiving a tip, authorities rescued more than 60 dogs, including several Goldendoodles, from a Litchfield Park home where the animals were living in what officials described as "deplorable conditions." FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has the details.

What they're saying:

"There's over 60 dogs in this residence. So we know who the homeowner is, we know who she is, she's not going anywhere. Our goal is to get these animals out of this situation. We have our vet on site. There's some that needed to go directly to the vet for emergency medical care, so that is our number one goal, getting these 60 dogs out of this situation," MCSO Det. Dave Evans said.

A neighbor named Ricky Blicharski says he is shocked by this, and saddened.

"I knew the neighbors had dogs. They said they raised dogs and I didn't think that they were breeding dogs and selling them like a puppy mill type, but I'm totally shocked. I never heard barking and stuff like that, no nuisance. So for this type of an HOA that we're in, I mean it's a nice neighborhood, right? So totally shocked," Blicharski said.

For him, an animal lover, the scene was difficult to witness.

"We love the dogs. To see the dogs in some of the conditions I've seen, it's very sad," Det. Blicharski said.

'There's going to be numerous charges'

"The house is covered in feces and urine," Det. Evans said. "There's dogs stacked in crates with no water, they can barely turn around, and basically the whole house is hoarded out."

Now that the dogs have been taken for medical care, investigators are focusing on the criminal aspects of the case. They anticipate the homeowners could face more than 100 charges.

"There's going to be numerous charges. There's going to be medical charges once we get the blood results back from the dogs. There's going to be additional charges," Det. Evans said. "Our goal is to get these dogs out of here, get them to the vet. They've been here long enough. They don't need to spend another five minutes in this place."

Dozens of dogs rescued from Litchfield Park home

More than 60 dogs, including several Goldendoodles, were rescued from a Litchfield Park home after authorities received a tip about animals living in "deplorable conditions." FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has the latest.

Map of where the rescue happened

What's next:

In cases like these, MCSO will take care of the animals through its MASH Unit. MASH stands for MCSO Animal Safe Haven.

That's where abused and neglected animals are rehabilitated with veterinarian care. Eventually, these animals get put up for adoption.

What we don't know:

No names have been released in this investigation.