About a dozen dogs and cats are in need of new homes as police continue to investigate a case of animal neglect at a nonprofit animal rescue organization in Fridley.
Police executed a search warrant at Happy Tails three weeks ago after receiving a report about mistreatment at the facility.
RELATED: Fridley Police Investigate Allegations of Animal Abuse at Happy Tails Rescue
A search warrant obtained by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS shows investigators found two dead dogs and 13 dead cats inside.
The Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley has helped 42 other animals removed from that facility who suffered “poor medical care” and “inadequate living conditions.”
“It just doesn’t have to come to this,” said Liv Hagen, manager of shelter behavior and humane investigations at the Animal Humane Society. “If anyone is without the resources they need, if they are lost or overwhelmed by the number of animals in their care, please reach out for help.”
Hagen was at the scene when police seized the Happy Tails animals on May 23.
“19 of these animals really needed urgent medical care. They had conditions ranging from severe upper respiratory tract infections to very itchy, infected skin problems. We had a dog that had major muscle loss in the rear end, so we had animals that were in a lot of pain and suffering,” Hagen said.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS attempted to contact Happy Tails for comment, but never received a response from anyone at the organization.
“Yeah, it makes me really sick,” said Andrea Ebeling of Forest Lake, who adopted a cat from Happy Tails about a year ago.
Ebeling said she saw warning signs at the facility, including dirty kennels, and began having problems with her kitten within days of getting him.
“I had to take her to the emergency vet because she had a very serious infection where she was spayed. She also had a respiratory infection and ear infections, ear mites, all kinds of issues that really should have been resolved before she was considered for adoption,” Ebeling said.
Ebeling said he contacted a national nonprofit organization to report the problems he witnessed.
When asked if she was surprised by the current animal abuse investigation at Happy Tails, she responded, “No, I’m not surprised at all and I’m very happy that this will be highlighted. Animals don’t have a voice, so we have to defend them.”
Of the animals seized at the facility, four dogs and seven cats are now available for adoption at the Animal Humane Society’s Golden Valley shelter.
Hagen said three cats had to be humanely euthanized due to the severity of their medical conditions.
Two dogs will also be euthanized soon.
Another two dozen animals are still recovering.
“If medical intervention had started sooner, these conditions may not have progressed to the state they are in now,” Hagen said. “We don’t know what these animals went through before they got to us, we just know that once we got them, we were very happy to be able to provide them with the care they need.”
The Animal Humane Society covers all costs of removing animals and caring for them at its shelter during humane investigation cases.
If you would like to help this cause, the AHS Board of Directors will match your donation, dollar for dollar, up to $25,000.
A Fridley Police spokesperson told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the investigation into Happy Tails is ongoing.
