Rogers County Sheriff's Office recovers over 100 dogs from illegal breeding operation

The Rogers County Sheriff's Office recovered more than a hundred dogs from two puppy mills in Oologah and Claremore on Monday. They say the dogs were found in inhumane conditions and in need of veterinary care.

What the Sheriff says

A house in Oologah was more than a home. Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton says it was an illegal operation that was home to 99 beagles used for breeding.

"All they care about is, literally, I mean, the amount of offspring that these female dogs can produce. That's the whole mission of, you know, breeding animals for profit. But it's obvious in an operation like this, they care less about the animal itself," he said.

Walton says his deputies searched the property Monday as part of a puppy mill investigation. That case also brought them to another location east of Claremore, where deputies recovered even more dogs.

"We're going to guess 25 and 40. Just haven't gotten all the structures. At the Oologah site, we found multiple structures throughout this property there. We found dogs in every structure that existed there. So we expect to see the same," said Walton.

Walton says both locations were owned by the same person. The case was a joint effort with the State Department of Agriculture, the Humane Society of Tulsa, and the Rogers County Sheriff's Office. The Humane Society of Tulsa is in charge of taking the dogs in for veterinary evaluations and care.

The Humane Society of Tulsa steps in

"For anyone that would like to help, you can visit our adoption center at 60th and Sheridan and bring donations—dog food, treats, beds, blankets—anything that will go straight to these dogs," said Gina Gardner with the Humane Society. She says cases like these are a good reminder for people to adopt, or carefully vet where they buy a pet from.

"This is exactly what's happening when you're purchasing puppies without seeing the facility and meeting the parents and seeing the operation," Gardner said.

What's next

The Rogers County Sheriff's Office will send its findings to the District Attorney, who will decide whether to file charges.

News On 6 reached out to the owner of both properties, but the number associated with the dog breeding operation was not in service.