11 German Shepherd Puppies Recovering After Being Rescued From Cramped, Filthy Cages At Motel

Police in Colorado issued a “pupdate” this week saying that 11 German shepherd puppies rescued earlier this month are “doing much better” in the care of Foothills Animal Shelter.

The Wheat Ridge Police Department said officers responded to a La Quinta Inn motel for a welfare check on multiple dogs being kept in a room there. The Community Services Officers, who handle animal calls, arrived to find four kennels holding 11 German shepherd puppies.

Officers “noted an overwhelming smell of feces from the room and kennels, noticing it was smeared inside the kennels and on the puppies paws,” police said.

The police department released body-worn camera video that shows the caged animals outside the hotel room, along with numerous personal items strewn about.

“Why is there blood in that crate,” an officer asks the suspect, a woman.

“I have no clue,” the woman says. “I just got here.”

“There’s like a lot of blood in that crate,” the officer says. “It worries me that you don’t know where this blood came from.”

WRPD Community Services Officer Timothy Haines told Fox 31 that the woman was also recently involved in a neglect case in Kipling.

“Even around the corner from the room, you could smell how bad it was,” Haines told the outlet. “There were five puppies held in one kennel that was probably meant for one or two. There was a puppy that was actively bleeding. There was feces smeared around the room, the toilet, the bathtub, the sink all clogged with feces. It was it was a scene that most people, I think, would show up and throw up.” 

Police impounded the puppies and transferred them to Foothills Animal Shelter, where they were provided food, water, medical care and cleaning. One of the puppies tested positive for canine parvovirus.

The owner was issued a summons for 11 counts of animal cruelty or inhumane treatment. She was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, but failed to show up on time, Fox 31 reported. Police said a warrant would be issued for failure to appear.