7 dogs seized from 'filthy' suspected puppy mill in Windsor, Ont.

A shih tzu rescued from a suspected puppy mill in Windsor, Ont., was found with three kilograms or 6.6 pounds of dried feces and other debris in its long, shaggy matted fur over the weekend.

The clumps of dried fecal matter resembled rocks and hung from the dog's black knotted fur, which also had grass or straw intertwined in it, officials said.

It was one of 14 dogs suspected of being housed at a south Windsor trailer park until late Friday.

The Windsor/Essex County Humane Society said six dogs and puppies were seized from a home, while seven more dogs were found running loose around the city.

Melanie Coulter, head of the Windsor/Essex Humane Society, said the shih tzu was found with another small dog "huddled in a ditch" in Tecumseh, east of Windsor. She called the scene and condition of the dogs "horrendous."

In a news release, the humane society called the home a "possible puppy mill" and said the animals were living in "filthy conditions."

Aside from the six dogs found at the home, the humane society said seven additional dogs, "resembling the removed dogs" from the Bonita Street home, were found at various other locations in Windsor and neighbouring Tecumseh.

All 14 dogs were found "in extremely poor physical condition" and are now under the care of the humane society's veterinary team.

'This seems suspicious'

Coulter said the humane society received a complaint last Thursday. An investigator immediately followed up at the Bonita Street address that day by leaving a notice on the door.

Not long after after the notice was posted, stray dogs in terrible conditions started showing up across the city and in Tecumseh.

"Friday morning, we started getting in dogs in very poor condition from several different locations, and our officers basically put two and two together and said, 'this seems suspicious,'" Coulter explained.

"At that point, we obtained a warrant to get into the [Bonita Street] home and found a number of dogs resembling the stray dogs inside the home."

The investigation is continuing.

Coulter said the owner is co-operating.

Charges are pending.