KEY PENINSULA, Wash. — Pierce County deputies seized nearly 70 dogs inside a Lakebay home where three of the dogs died from a contagious, deadly dog virus.
The sheriff’s office announced on Tuesday that 68 dogs were recovered from a trailer home on July 18th.
Seven of the dogs tested positive for Parvovirus, which later killed three of them – one died on the way to the emergency room and two others were humanely euthanized, detectives said.
“Parvo is a very dangerous disease. It’s very painful to have to suffer through a death like that,” said Carly Cappetto, public information officer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
All of the dogs were the same breed, King Charles Spaniels.
Investigators said the conditions were so bad that 48 dogs had to be shaved since many of them were covered in dirt and their own waste.
Cappetto said, “It’s not humane. You wouldn’t do this to a family member of your own.”
“When you go into a double-wide trailer like that and there’s just cages and cages of dogs and crates, and cages that are too small for them to even get up and move around. And you have pregnant dogs wandering around, not getting the care they need. Sick dogs in corners transferring the Parvo disease to other dogs,” Cappetto said.
Sixty-five dogs were taken to the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Rescue Trust where most of the dogs are currently under foster care, she added.
The woman, who is believed to be responsible for the dogs, is no stranger to deputies, officials said.
“The name of the person that we were investigating had three previous animal cases where animals had been removed,” Cappetto shard.
KIRO 7 News reached out to the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office to get more details about the case, including the alleged dog breeder.
A spokesperson told KIRO 7 News that it’s currently reviewing the case for possible animal cruelty charges.
“The veterinary examinations and necropsies will be crucial to being able to prove any possible charges.
The dogs were all seized, and the surviving dogs are all safe and receiving appropriate care,” the office wrote.
KIRO 7 News spoke with Alecia Dolman with Happy Tails Animal Hospital in Renton to learn more about Parvovirus.
“One dog can infect multiple dogs if it’s out in the public. That’s what’s so scary about Parvovirus,” she said.
Dogs can become infected by the ingesting the virus, such as touching and sniffing waste from infected dogs, Dolman said.
The virus travels to the intestine and causes inflammation.
Infected dogs may experience symptoms, including severe diarrhea and vomiting.
“The puppies can go downhill really fast. Even adult dogs. We’ve had dogs that were like seven or eight years old that had contracted the Parvovirus. They go down within days,” Colman shared.
To protect your pets, Dolman said puppies, younger than one years old, are recommended to receive three vaccinations and one annual vaccination for each following year.
While there is no treatment to kill the virus, Dolman said infected dogs can be treated with an injection.
However, the injection is more costly.
“The Parvovirus will go down within 12 to 13 hours. We’ve seen pets near death get the antidote and all of their symptoms subside,” she said.