CRIME BLOTTER

27 dogs found living in small bedroom, seized from Pierce County home

Sep 25, 2025, 3:44 PM | Updated: 3:44 pm

Pierce County...

Dogs were seized from a home in Pierce County. (Photo courtesy of Pierce County Sheriff's Office)

(Photo courtesy of Pierce County Sheriff's Office)

Animal control officers in Pierce County seized 27 dogs from a home on 52nd Street East in the Midland area of unincorporated Pierce County.

On September 15, calls from a concerned citizen led officers to the home. They had to get a warrant to get inside, and they were shocked by what they found.

“Twenty-seven dogs living in a small bedroom inside the home, unfortunately, two recently deceased dogs were found,” Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Carly Cappetto told KIRO Newsradio.

Dogs found packed in cages in Pierce County home

Cappetto said the dogs were kept in cages. Officers describe the conditions in the home as deplorable and unsanitary, filled with urine and feces. In some cases, the dogs were packed four or five to a cage, barely able to move.

“They all received immediate vet care, and they’ve all been transferred over to the Tacoma Humane Society,” Cappetto said.

To have more than five of these types of animals combined, a kennel license is required.  

Officers said the homeowner initially lied about the number of dogs in the home and could face animal cruelty charges.

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