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Case ID: 1067

Classification: Hoarding

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Hoarding more than 30 dogs
Snohomish, WA (US)

Incident Date: Friday, Jun 12, 1998
County: Snohomish

Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available

Alleged: James E. McPhail

On Friday June 12, authorities removed more than 30 dogs and puppies from five uncovered commercial kennel buildings after finding the animals still living in wretched conditions.

Two of the dogs died before making it to an animal shelter. Two more had to be put to death Saturday.

Muddied kennel floors carpeted with feces and urine, and a lack of food and water, were just some of the conditions listed in a search warrant filed at Evergreen District Court.

Officials sought the warrent after an earlier visit revealed a dead dog swarmed by flies in one of the kennels. It had been dead a few days, court papers said. Many of the dogs had runny noses and white mucus in their eyes, according to court papers. Several animals have sores on their paws.

Authorities feared they might be suffering from the highly contagious virus parvo, a severe, often fatal intestinal tract disease found in dogs. So far, none of the living dogs appear to have the disease, said Jan Jorgensen, Snohomish County Sheriff's spokeswoman. The deceased dogs can't be tested for the virus, she said. 

McPhail has been cited for second-degree animal cruelty and is scheduled for arraignment on June 24, Jorgensen said.

On Saturday, she said she noticed two dogs were in such bad shape they couldn't lift their heads from the gutters.  "There was pure blood running down the gutters," Wilson said. She euthanized those dogs to end their misery.

None of the animals are available for adoption. It's not clear what will become of them if they aren't returned to McPhail. Both shelter said the older dogs are too aggressive to be placed with families. Some of the puppies might have a chance to recover and be adopted, De Wispelaere said.

It isn't known why McPhail had so many dogs. None of them were pure breeds, and he wasn't selling them, said Carolyn Diepenbrock, license division manager with the county auditor's office.  He was only required to have a commercial kennel license because he had more than ten dogs, she added.

McPhail apparently doesn't live on the many acres he owns on Creswell Road, Jorgensen said. Authorities don't know how often he visited the dogs or tended to them, because he was never there when they arrived for inspections. County license inspectors have been working with McPhail for a couple of years to clean up the kennel.

On May 1, 1998, they suspended his license because he was not complying with previous orders to clean and cover the kennels. They had inspected the kennels regularly and deciding last week they had to take custody of the animals.

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