Beaumont Animal Care (BAC) seized 32 dogs from a Pine Street property Sept. 30, uncovering what officials described as evidence of animal cruelty.
Animal Care Officer Brooklin Moore said she initially responded to a complaint of possible neglect Sept. 16. What she found raised immediate concerns.
Most of the adult dogs were chained, while four litters of puppies — 20 dogs under a year old — were confined in makeshift cages.
“Some were on heavy chains, which in and of itself is against the law in Texas — which I did address with the owner,” Moore said. “Whenever I returned it was, in my opinion, conditions worse than when I first arrived.”
Sept. 30, Moore obtained a seizure warrant and removed all 32 dogs. Investigators also found weighted collars, treadmills, and injectable antibiotics — items traditionally linked to dog fighting. Four dogs were receiving medical treatment for injuries consistent with fighting and neglect as of press time.
“This is the first time we’ve seen anything of this scale there,” Moore said. “I know there will be some misdemeanor infractions like improper tethering, (and) insufficient shelter, which are animal cruelty charges. If we prove fighting, those go from misdemeanors to felonies.”
Moore said she warned the owner Sept. 16, while she was gathering evidence, that when she came back, she expected to see sufficient shelter and safer conditions.
“When I returned, the conditions were worse. There was feces everywhere and I knew we would seek a full seizure warrant at that point,” said Moore.
No arrests had been made by the following day, but Moore confirmed authorities know who is responsible.
“No one was arrested, (but) we do know who is responsible so that we will see them at the hearing,” she said.
A seizure hearing against the animals’ owner will be held Oct. 7 in Justice of the Peace Ben Collins’ court to determine custody of the animals. In the meantime, the sudden influx of dogs has put a major strain on Beaumont Animal Care’s shelter capacity, a fellow BAC employee detailed.
“We didn’t know until late Monday afternoon that we would be seizing all these animals. We were scrambling last minute – we already had several on our last chance list and we had to push the deadline on those dogs up and reached out to our foster partners to get quick placement for those dogs so we could have space to intake the 32 dogs,” said BAC Media Coordinator Viviana Lopez.
Lopez said the shelter relies heavily on foster families to make space for emergencies like this. “We were able to get fosters for those other dogs that were nearing their deadline for adoption. We have about 30 animals in foster at all times,” she said.
Caring for the seized dogs comes with a significant financial burden.
“Anytime a dog comes in, first vaccines, flea prevention and wormer – this costs the animal care about $100 per animal… Additionally, Beaumont Animal Care is contracted with Dowlen Road Vet Clinic and we had to send four to the vet for additional care for additional injuries and more exams and medical care. One has a puncture wound so deep it had to get drain tubes put in… this will cost us near $1,000 and we will have to make fundraising efforts to cover this,” Lopez said.
Moore emphasized that the priority is ensuring the dogs’ safety.
“Right now, we have a hearing set for the 7th to determine custody to see if they will be awarded to the city or he will be able to get them back,” she said. “All of the other charges will be coming but our main priority will be to get these dogs safe and make sure they will not be put in harm’s way again.”
BAC urges anyone with information about the case — including witnesses who may have seen activity on the property or obtained dogs from the home — to come forward. Tips can be reported directly to the shelter or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at (409) 833-TIPS.
“These dogs deserve justice,” BAC pleaded in a public statement. They deserve safety. And, most of all, they deserve the chance at a loving home and a future far away from cruelty.”