Humane Society and Kansas sheriff rescue dogs ‘living in a poor, filthy environment’

About 30 dogs were rescued Wednesday from an alleged animal cruelty situation in Kingman County.

The animals were found when the Kingman County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant on a residential property at around 8 a.m., the Humane Society said in a news release. The investigation began when concerns were raised about the welfare of animals on the property.

The exact location was not disclosed.

“The animals there appeared to be living in a poor, filthy environment, and some appeared to be suffering from skin conditions,” the release states. “Some animals were running loose on the property while others were contained in makeshift pens where they were found crawling under trailers to access shade.”

The animals will be examined and taken to an undisclosed safe location.

“No animal deserves to suffer in deplorable conditions like those we’ve seen today,” said Midge Grinstead, Kansas state director for the Humane Society of the United States, in the release. “We are thankful to the Kingman County Sheriff’s Office and our partners for answering the call to help these animals.”

Kansas law has multiple definitions of animal cruelty, with some crimes listed as felonies and others as misdemeanors. It is a misdemeanor to not provide food, drinking water, shelter, opportunity for exercise and other necessities for an animal’s health or well-being.

“I am proud we were able to work together to help get these animals the care they need,” said Sheriff Randy Hill said in the release. “We’d like to thank the Humane Society of the United States, Beauties and Beasts, Kansas Horse Education, Advocacy and Resource Team, and Kingman Humane Society for their assistance today.”