REDMOND, OR– Deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office rescued 23 pit bull mixes, including 19 puppies suffering from heat exhaustion, from a property on NE O’Neil Way on August 11.
According to the sheriff’s office, Animal Control Technician Michelle White responded to a report of animal neglect and found the dogs confined in metal wire crates covered with thick blankets while outdoor temperatures reached 100 degrees. Four adult dogs and 19 puppies, all 6–8 weeks old, were discovered.
Sgt. Aaron Harding and Deputies Michael Dolan and Dean Marshall arrived to assist. Many of the dogs were panting heavily and showing signs of distress. Some puppies were found crawling in dirt in direct sunlight. With the owners, identified as 45-year-old Nicole Allison Sly and 49-year-old Jeremy Shane De France, unavailable, deputies removed the animals due to the immediate risk to their health.
The dogs were transported to BrightSide Animal Center in Redmond, where shelter staff provided water, fans, and cooling compresses. Body temperatures for the puppies ranged from 103 to 104.7 degrees, consistent with heat exhaustion. All have since stabilized and are in the shelter’s care.
Sly and De France later contacted deputies and agreed to surrender the animals. Both face 23 counts of animal neglect.
Those interested in adopting or supporting the rescued dogs can contact BrightSide Animal Center at 1355 NE Hemlock Ave. in Redmond, call (541) 923-0882, or visit www.brightsideanimals.org. Adoption hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.