When authorities from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office served a search of the property of Nancy Punches, a 78-year-old Doty woman, on Friday afternoon they found 65 foxhounds living in close quarters. Many were wading in water, feces and urine.
When authorities from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office served a search of the property of Nancy Punches, a 78-year-old Doty woman, on Friday afternoon they found 65 foxhounds living in close quarters. Many were wading in water, feces and urine.
When authorities from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office served a search of the property of Nancy Punches, a 78-year-old Doty woman, on Friday afternoon they found 65 foxhounds living in close quarters. Many were wading in water, feces and urine.
The more than 60 foxhounds seized from the property of a 78-year-old Doty-area woman Friday afternoon are reportedly the descendents of four puppies their owner, Nancy Punches, saved as she floated atop a bookshelf in her home during the December 2007 floods.
The foxhounds taken by authorities on Friday were wading in feces and urine in their cages.
Punches has not yet been charged as investigators are awaiting a report from the veterinarian about the health conditions of the dogs before determining the criminal charges, according to Lewis County Sheriff’s Office press release.
The investigation started after Lewis County Code Enforcement received a tip from a witness who was concerned with the conditions that the dogs were living in several days prior, said Chief Deputy Stacy Brown, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.
A search warrant for Punches’ property, on the 400 block of River Road outside of Doty, was granted after she refused to allow investigators to enter the building on her property where the dogs were housed, according to the release. After serving the warrant and entering the building, investigators found the dogs living in filthy and unsanitary conditions. Eighteen of the foxhounds were puppies, and 47 were adults.
The Lewis County Animal Shelter did not have room for all of the dogs; therefore the city of Chehalis, Clark County Animal Control and Pasado’s Safe Haven all assisted in transporting and housing the dogs, according to the release. Veterinarians from Cascade West Veterinary Office responded and conducted an assessment on site on Friday and four puppies were taken directly to their facility for treatment.
Investigators also found one dead puppy in a cage on the property, according to the release. The puppy was taken by the veterinarian for necropsy.
Punches admitted to investigators that her place “was out of control,” and after further investigation it does not appear that Punches was breeding the dogs as a commercial business, according to the release.
Often when there is a situation like this, the already-full animal shelters are pushed to capacity in order to help get the animals out of a bad situation, said Amber Chenoweth from Pasado’s Safe Haven. Chenoweth said Pasado’s Safe Haven were able to take 20 of the dogs.
“This is a large number of dogs that will need to rely on the community to find homes for them,” Chenoweth told The Chronicle on Friday.
The Lewis County Animal Shelter took 17 puppies and 11 adult fox hounds, Brown said.
Anyone interested in adopting any of the dogs should contact the Lewis County Animal Shelter at (360) 740-1290 or Pasado’s Safe Haven at (360) 793-9393.
