This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A St. George man has been arrested and jailed on suspicion of animal cruelty after police officers found 13 Dachshund-mix dogs left unattended inside a filthy, abandoned home over the weekend.
Police, responding to complaints that the dogs were seen coming from the residence near 1900 West and Jefferson Street, found the animals inside. While the dogs appeared to have been fed, the conditions inside the home were unsanitary.
The dogs appeared to have not been let outside the house to eliminate their bodily wastes.
Police learned that the 48-year-old owner of the home had moved out in September, but left the dogs behind. While he periodically stopped by to feed them, he otherwise left the animals to fend for themselves.
He told officers that he had initially been breeding the dogs but ended up with more than he than he could handle.
The owner was booked into the Washington County Jail on suspicion of 13 counts of animal cruelty, two counts of failure to license a dog, and having more than the city's two allowed dogs per residence.
The dogs were taken into custody by animal control workers, given medical care and taken to the city's shelter.
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