Can you imagine? Over 1,000 dogs? And many of them were Dachsies.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,410004,00.html

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — The longtime owner of a Parkersburg-area dog kennel has surrendered her approximately 1,000 dogs to humane officials after authorities executed a search warrant on the property over the weekend.

Sharon Roberts, who has operated Whispering Oaks Kennels since 1961, also agreed never to operate a dog-breeding business again.

"They said 'If you don't voluntarily give up the dogs, we will arrest you and put you in jail and charge a fine for each dog here,"' Roberts told The Associated Press Monday. "What would you do?"

Authorities said the dogs were never let out of their cages and rarely, if ever, touched by a human being.

Roberts, however, disputes those allegations.

"How can you raise dogs without worming them and vaccinating them, trimming their toenails and grooming them?"

"We petted them and played with them and held them," she said. "They rode around on a golf cart with us. They were very well socialized."

Humane Society rescuers said the dogs, mostly adult purebred dachshunds, stumble when they try to walk on grass, tile or carpet because they've spent their entire lives on wire mesh floors.

"Imagine you live your entire life inside your house — one room inside your house — and you never leave it," Maryann Hollis, director of the Humane Society of Parkersburg, told the Parkersburg News and Sentinel for Monday's edition. "Once a week, somebody dropped groceries at your door. That's what life was like for these dogs — just one room, wire mesh, and you pooped where you slept."

But Roberts, 72, said all the pens were made of vinyl-coated wire, not mesh, and that they opened to covered exercise pens. She also said all of the buildings in which the pens were kept were air conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter.

"All the dogs had food and water in front of them at all times," she said, adding that she and her four full-time and two part-time employees cleaned the cages every day.

The dogs were discovered Saturday by deputies investigating possible dog-related pollution and were taken in what the local humane society calls the largest animal rescue in West Virginia's history.

Most of the animals were in relatively good health.

Wood County Prosecutor Ginny Conley said that while these weren't the worst conditions she's ever seen, it's impossible for anyone to properly care for that many dogs.

Some of the animals are puppies, but most are adults.

"These were the dogs that were breeding machines," said Hollis.

Scotlund Haisley with the Humane Society of the United States said on a video on the group's Web site that volunteers couldn't stand being in the kennels for long periods of time because of the strong ammonia smell. In a press release, the society called the kennel "a grossly overrun breeding facility wrought with obvious animal neglect."

A call to a spokeswoman for that group for more information wasn't immediately returned Monday.

Roberts' husband, Edwin, 74, was arrested Sunday on charges of assault of a police officer and obstructing a police officer. Roberts calls the arrest a misunderstanding. She said her husband had ear plugs in while using a chain saw to clear brush and didn't hear when deputies asked him to turn off the saw.

The animals have been moved to a Parkersburg warehouse for temporary housing. Each must be seen by a veterinarian.

Animal groups from across the country are volunteering to help get the animals ready for adoption.

Roe's group estimates that the costs of the rescue operation could exceed $100,000.

that's just unreal.....and I am so glad she gave the dogs up without a fight......

One positive thing, the dogs appeared to be in good health. I didn't read about any starving or dying.

That is absolutely sickening.

To mount my favorite soapbox once again: I bet that 90% (or more) of dogs sold from that hellhole were sold in pet stores.

If it were made illegal to sell companion animals in retail establishments -- and I am not talking about pet stores holding adoption events with shelters and rescues, I'm talking about pet stores BUYING from people like this sick &*^% -- then businesses like this would probably not exist, because they would serve no purpose.

It's a simple law. Why has it not been proposed by any legislator?

I've often thought that it's too bad retail establishments can't do something like "host" shelter animals that could somehow be adopted/purchased through the store. There could be extra costs tacked on so the retail establishment could recoup their costs and make a profit-- since they are a store and therefore are in business to make a profit. This way they could both make a profit while at the same time help out with rehoming animals that end up in shelters or rescues.

I'm sure this idea is probably completely unrealisitic, but it's something I've thought of.... particularly when I visit some of the desert shelters, and see highly desirable dogs and cats (beautiful puppies and kittens) that I could easily imagine at a pet store, but since they are in these over-crowded, high-kill shelters... they have a slim chance of getting a home.

I love how that woman tried to explain it all away - as if you can carry each of 1000 dogs on a "golf cart" regularly??? And I can't imagine the poor health my Snoopy would be in if just ONE of her claims was actually TRUE - that they have "food in front of them" 24/7... oy!