Over two dozen dogs were removed from a suspected illegal breeding operation in the Olney section of Philadelphia.
On Thursday night, law enforcement officers with the Pennsylvania SPCA executed a search warrant at a house on the 4800 block of North 8th Street.
“We’ve had the owners of this property under investigation for the past five months,” said George Bengal, director of Humane Law Enforcement.
During the search, 18 adult dogs and eight puppies were removed from the property. The dogs included pit bulls, a German Shepherd and a bulldog.
The SPCA says that some of the animals needed medical attention and surgery, including an 8-month-old puppy with a broken jaw.
Police say the two suspects, James Hines, 48, and Denekei Lawson, 39, were not at the home during the search warrant. Investigators issued body warrants for their arrest. They will be charged for animal cruelty and operating an illegal breeding operation, according to investigators.
“Due to the amount of complaints we’ve received about these suspects selling sick dogs, we were glad that we were able to rescue them from the conditions they were living in,” said Bengal.
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“Although the dogs are not currently available for adoption, our goal is to eventually get all of these dogs into good loving homes.”
