17 Dogs Were Found Dead in “Unsanitary Conditions” at Iowa Breeding Facility

On March 7, the Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) removed 66 dogs — 49 living and 17 dead — from a commercial breeding facility in the eastern part of the state in Washington County.

Per the organization’s press release, they received an “urgent call for help with a situation involving dozens of dogs.” When they arrived, they found 49 dogs and puppies “living in unsanitary conditions in multiple buildings.” Some of the dogs that were found dead were also puppies. A certified vet assessed the situation and determined that all the living dogs needed to be rescued and taken to a safer location, where the rescue team could monitor their health and treat any problems.

Pet parenting deals, just for our kin

Get (totally free) deals for food, treats, accessories, tech, and way more pet parenting must-haves.

Get Deals

The ARL writes: “One by one, we placed the dogs in clean kennels in our rescue trailer and helped load some that were headed to a partnering shelter — from mama dogs who’d had litters upon litters of puppies, to tiny pups whose lives were just beginning.” They also report that they found a sick mother dog in a dark, cold room. Her most recent litter had died. “Our hearts hurt for her as she walked quietly into the daylight to our rescue vehicle,” ARL shares.

Once the dogs got back to the shelter, they were each examined and are receiving care at the ARL and  PAWS & More, aka Washington County Humane Society. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating this case.

Rescues operations from breeders are far from uncommon.

Even if a breeder appears to be above board, as in the Iowa case, dogs could still be being kept in horrific, unsafe, and unhealthy circumstances. In just one operation last year, the American Society for Animal Cruelty Prevention (ASPCA) rescued 300 animals from inhumane conditions across four states. More than one-third of these dogs were abused by a breeder in Florida.

“Upon our arrival, we discovered some animals who appeared underweight with untreated medical conditions and living in extremely unsanitary conditions,” Matt Bershadker, ASPCA president and CEO,  said in a press release at the time. In 2023, The Animal Lab rescued 111 Goldendoodles from a backyard breeder in the Baja California state of Mexico.

“I wish we could have explained to [the dogs] that us putting this leash around their neck is the best thing that’ll ever happen to [them],” Animal Pad director Lauren Botticelli told us at the time about the dogs, who originally resisted the rescuers out of fear. “It was so clear how abused they had been and how traumatizing this was. It broke my heart, it broke my team members’ hearts, to have to do this to them and put them through this final trauma even though we knew this is what needed to happen and was ultimately for the best.”

According to 2021 data from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), there are an estimate of 10,000 puppy mills in the United States, where a lot of unethical breeding in this country takes place. Check out their 2024 Horrible Hundred report on some of the worst offenders in the U.S.

How can you help these Iowa dogs?

If you want to help the 49 dogs in Washington County and support ARL’s future rescue efforts, you can donate to their efforts below.

The org writes: “Vulnerable animals like these dogs will always be counting on us, and we never know when the next call for help will come. The ARL is the only animal shelter in Iowa that has a dedicated rescue team capable of assisting with large-scale rescues in all four corners of the state.”