Georgia ‘puppy mill’ owner arrested after 450 neglected German shepherds are found on her properties

Georgia ‘puppy mill’ owner arrested after 450 neglected German shepherds are found on her properties living in ‘mud and feces up to rescuers’ knees’

  • Dog breeder Belinda Powell was arrested and charged with animal cruelty
  • Authorities said that 450 neglected German Shepherds were found on her lands
  • The dogs were said to be fenced and living in filthy conditions
  • Water was said to have filled sheltered areas and feces and mud was everywhere 
  • The dogs were a variety of ages and found in different health conditions  

Dog breeder Belinda Powell was arrested and charged with animal cruelty after 450 neglected German Shepherds were rescued from her property

A Georgia woman faces animal cruelty charges after 450 neglected German Shepherds were found living on her properties in filthy conditions while under her care. 

Belinda Powell, said to be a dog breeder, was charged after the animals were discovered on two properties she owns in Georgia’s Candler and Montgomery counties, according to WSBTV. 

The dogs were rescued by the Atlanta Humane Society and local police departments on Saturday and Sunday, according to reports.  

Animal Law Source founder Claudine Wilkins, who was on site during the rescue, told the news station that the animal rescuers were ‘walking in mud and feces up to our knees’ when they went to retrieve the dogs.  

Not only that, but the igloo structures that Powell had set out for the dogs to take shelter in ‘were submerged in water. So, there was no place for these dogs to stand in a dry spot.’  

Rescuers said they found German Shepherds, including these shown, living in grass-less, fenced in areas with mud and feces all around them

Rescuers said they found German Shepherds, including these shown, living in grass-less, fenced in areas with mud and feces all around them

The dogs (shown) were said to be of varying ages

The dogs were also said to be in various degrees of health

The dogs (shown) were said to be of varying ages and in various degrees of health

Robert Misseri, president of Guardians of Rescue, told the LaGrange Daily News that the dogs were living in a large fenced in area that was devoid of grass and that they lived in ‘around 10 inches of mud and animal waste at all times.’ 

Misseri also said that the people that lived in the neighborhood around what is being described as puppy mills have been calling attention to the animals’ treatment for a long time in order to get the mills closed down.   

While some of the dogs are expected to be fine, others suffered from serious injuries, including one dog that had ‘mucked up eyes’ and could hardly see because they were ‘all clouded over,’ according to Wilkins. 

All dogs were given a basic medical exam on-site, the Atlanta Human Society said, noting that the dogs that were most in need of medical attention were transported to the organization’s facilities in Alpharetta and West Midtown for treatment.  

The dogs (shown) were living in 'around 10 inches of mud and animal waste' at all times

The dogs (shown) were living in ‘around 10 inches of mud and animal waste’ at all times

Rescuers said that these igloo structures were submerged in water so the dogs didn't have a dry spot to take shelter in

Rescuers said that these igloo structures were submerged in water so the dogs didn’t have a dry spot to take shelter in

The dogs’ treatment, care and housing is expected to be expensive, Wilkins noted.     

It’s unclear why Powell was keeping so many dogs in such terrible conditions, but Wilkins suspects that the dog breeder’s motivations were monetary. 

‘This is an easy business to be in,’ Wilkins said. ‘You just put two dogs together that you want to breed and you breed them. You put them on the internet and people will start buying them from you.’

Several organizations are raising money to help take care of the 450 dogs that were rescued, including the Atlanta Humane Society and Guardians of Rescue. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk