Seventy-eight bulldogs are looking for new homes after police seized them from an apparent puppy mill in Southern California.
The French and English bulldogs were discovered with mange and urine burns on their paws after a neighbor called Westminster police last week and told them about the pups. After seizing the dogs, police sent them to the Westminster Adoption Group Services and have opened a criminal investigation on the dog owner.
Police described the dogs as being found in deplorable conditions. Some, they believe, were caged for days at a time.
"The odor and the smell there throughout the property was so disgusting and unsanitary that some of our officers actually got sick to their stomach and had to leave the property," Westminster Police Department Cmdr. Cameron Knauaerhaze said.
Officials say each one of the dogs is suffering from some type of ailment, but that hasn't stopped people from trying to give them a loving home.
After 5,000 inquiries, Tuesday was the first day applicants could put their name on a list to possibly take one of the dogs home.
"They're super cute, that's one thing," said Minh Nguyen, who was one of the many people who eagerly applied to take one of the pups home. "All my friends that had one, they've always been real nice, low temperament, easy going," he said.
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And while the dogs are cute, experts do warn prospective owners that they'll have to be willing to deal with some of their health issues.
"We have the ear, the eye, the skin issues, but these dogs were neglected behaviorally, as well," said WAGS shelter manager Cortney Dorney.
So while the dogs will need to be house and leash trained, the upside is that they rarely bark; instead, they prefer to just lick and hug.
