WEST OLIVE, Mich. — Twenty-five dogs and a cat are recovering at Harbor Humane Society after being seized from an alleged breeding operation in Holland, Michigan — one of the largest cases the shelter says it has ever handled.
WATCH: 26 animals seized from Holland breeding operation find care at Harbor Humane Society
The Holland Police Department and Ottawa County Animal Control removed the animals from a Holland home in July. The shelter says the animals arrived with skin infections, overgrown nails, flea infestations, and signs of prolonged neglect.
"We're seeing a lot of those behaviors of dogs that just don't really know how to dog in the traditional family sense, but they're learning so quickly. Throughout their entire lives, they've faced so much adversity," Emma Helrigel said.
Helrigel, community outreach manager with Harbor Humane, said the dogs had spent most of their lives confined.
"The dogs were mostly crated, either indoors or in outdoor kennels, and just the access to those basic needs that dogs especially need for their mental stability and enrichment, they just weren't getting," Helrigel said.
The health conditions the animals arrived with were significant.
"There were several of the dogs that had skin infections due to an infestation of fleas — the skin infections were definitely the most severe issue that we were seeing. There were overgrown nails, a lot of bodily waste that was in between paws and things, or in between toes and things like that," Helrigel said.
Harbor Humane says it first became aware of the situation through its community outreach programs.
"We were pretty well aware that they were breeding. You know, there was signage on their vehicle saying puppies for sale with their phone number," Helrigel said.
Among the animals brought to the shelter was a 10-year-old pregnant dog.
"So sweet. Had obviously been a mama several times before, both from what the defendants told us and also the condition of the dog," Helrigel said.
That dog has since given birth to healthy puppies. Caring for all 26 animals has come at a significant cost to the nonprofit.
"It's been over $33,000 at this point in expenses to care for these dogs and the cat in our care, and we didn't skimp on anything. Donations, we always accept things like sheets, towels, something as simple as that, monetary donations at harborhumane.org or just giving us a call," Helrigel said.
Helrigel said Harbor Humane made repeated attempts over the years to work with the owners, offering free spay and neuter services and education about the health risks facing unaltered animals.
"There were multiple attempts to have that conversation. Our programs do require spay and neuter because of circumstances like this," Helrigel said. "Offered free spay and neuter, went that route, was told that breeding was done, that they were stopping."
Those efforts ultimately did not succeed.
"Continuing to offer those free spay and neuter appointments to no avail. Continuing to offer education on those illnesses and diseases that can take place in unaltered animals, especially as senior dogs, didn't get anywhere," Helrigel said. "That was kind of the point for us of our final, you know, half dozenth time offering free spay and neuter, and not getting anywhere. ... Once we started realizing there are more issues here than we will ever know the full scope of, we knew that we had to reach out and see if we could get some backup on this situation."
Roger Tuurling and Joyce Kraai of Holland have since been charged with animal abandonment or abuse.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Helrigel said the outlook for the animals is positive. Four have already been adopted.
"It's a lot of good. It's lifesaving. It's life-changing. We love when we get these successful adoption stories, and we're ready to make it happen for these dogs," Helrigel said.
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