Two Maltese-mix dogs that were living with the ‘House of Horrors’ family have been adopted after being well-fed and healthy while 12 of the 13 rescued children were malnourished and abused.
The dogs belonging to David and Louise Turpin, who were arrested and charged with several counts of torture and abuse last month, were given to their new family on Monday.
Animal Control received two applications to adopt the one-year-old females.
Two Maltese-mix dogs (left and right) that were living with the ‘House of Horrors’ family have been adopted after being well-fed and healthy while 12 of the 13 rescued children were malnourished and abused
The dogs belonging to David and Louise Turpin (pictured with their 13 children), who were arrested and charged with several counts of torture and abuse last month, were given to their new family on Monday
Twelve of the 13 Turpin children, ranging in age from 2 to 29, were described as so malnourished that their physical and mental development were impaired. The dogs were in much better health than the children who were rescued from the home (pictured)
Last month, David and Louise Turpin’s 17-year-old daughter escaped the home and brought police back to rescue her 12 siblings – some of whom were chained to their beds as punishment by their ultra-religious parents. Pictured are investigators at the home in January
The city held a raffle and inspected the home before handing over the dogs city spokesman Joe Vargo told Mercury News.
Vargo said the family requested to remain anonymous because of all of the media coverage surrounding the Turpins.
‘We are pleased to know the two dogs will go to a home where they will be well treated and loved,’ Vargo said.
Twelve of the 13 Turpin children, ranging in age from two to 29, were described by Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin as so malnourished that their physical and mental development were impaired. The Turpins’ two-year-old was treated well.
But according to Perris senior animal control officer Christina Avila, the dogs were quite healthy.
Since their rescue, community members have banded together to raise more than $400,000 for the 13 children who were abused for years by their parents at the ‘House of Horrors’ in Perris, California
The case shocked the nation, even more so those who lived near the Turpins and never guessed the torture that was happening inside the respectable-looking home (pictured)
Community members have banded together to raise more than $400,000 for the 13 children who were abused for years by their parents at the ‘House of Horrors’ in Perris.
Last month, David and Louise Turpin’s 17-year-old daughter escaped the home and brought police back to rescue her 12 siblings – some of whom were chained to their beds as punishment by their ultra-religious parents.
Except for the youngest child, the rest of the children were malnourished and had to be hospitalized.
The case shocked the nation, even more so those who lived near the Turpins and never guessed the torture that was happening inside the respectable-looking home.
It inspired many in the community to band together to raise money for the children, who will no doubt struggle to deal with the abuse for the rest of their lives.
Two main funds have been set up to collect money for the children, one with the Riverside University Health System Foundation and the other with the Corona Chamber of Commerce. Eventually the funds will be merged and put into a single account.
As of Wednesday, the foundation had collected $249,365 and the Chamber of Commerce had collected $178,000.
The foundation said their donations came from as far away as Germany and Singapore.
Two main funds have been set up to collect money for the children, one with the Riverside University Health System Foundation and the other with the Corona Chamber of Commerce. Bobby Spiegel (pictured) helped organize a ‘dine out’ fundraiser last Wednesday
A GoFundMe fundraiser for the children under the title ‘Perris Victims of Neglect Fund’ has also exceeded its goal of $10,000.
The fund stood at $29,460 as of Tuesday morning, and the city has announced plans to donate $10,000 more.
‘The community response has been fantastic,’ said Mayor Michael Vargas in a news release. ‘It shows that Perris is a caring community.’
That number is expected to grow since the Chamber of Commerce organized a ‘dine out’ fundraiser last Wednesday involving 40 local restaurants.
The restaurants who participated in the fundraiser agreed to donate 15 to 20 per cent of each bill to the children, with diners’ permission.
DailyMail.com reached out to the Chamber of Commerce to learn how much they had made in the fundraiser, but did not immediately receive a response.
The Chamber of Commerce hoped to raise $10,000 during the event. While the total amount certainly is a large number, it’s not nearly enough.
‘We’re talking about 13 lives. $400,000 is not going to be much in the long scheme of things, so that’s why we did this dine out event,’ Corona Chamber of Commerce President Bobby Spiegel told ABC 7 last week.
David and Louise Turpin (pictured with their 13 children) face 12 charges of torture, 12 charges of false imprisonment, seven charges of abuse on a dependent adult and six charges of child abuse
The Turpins remain jailed in lieu of $12 million bail each. They are due back in court on February 23 for a routine hearing. They are both pictured in court on January 18
According to a 2010 study by the Centers for Disease Control, the average lifetime cost for a victim of child maltreatment is $210,000 when you figure in the costs of healthcare, productivity losses, child welfare, criminal justice and special education.
The children’s medical bills alone are going to be astronomical, since they are still recovering from their years of abuse in the hospital. The adults are being cared for at one hospital, and the minors at another.
Meanwhile, the children’s parents remain behind bars, awaiting trial.
David and Louise Turpin face 12 charges of torture, 12 charges of false imprisonment, seven charges of abuse on a dependent adult and six charges of child abuse.
David Turpin faces an additional charge of a lewd act on a child under 14 years old.
They face the possibility of spending the rest of their lives in prison if convicted.
The Turpins remain jailed in lieu of $12 million bail each. They are due back in court on February 23 for a routine hearing.