Chatham deputies, animal rescue groups save more than 170 dogs living in neglect at puppy mill

The Chatham County Sheriff's Office returned to a Bear Creek home on Tuesday to look into more problems surrounding alleged animal cruelty after a woman was charged for abusing and neglecting more than 170 dogs.

Several dogs were seen being taken away as crews executed a search warrant. Five dogs, four of which were puppies, were found dead on Tuesday.

A second woman, Kelly Dawn Privat, was charged on Tuesday. Privat was charged with 10 counts of animal cruelty. She has a Feb. 26 court date.

In January, deputies were notified about distressing sounds from a "large number" of dogs on a property on Oakley Church Road. On Jan. 25, dozens of dogs were seized and some of them were found dead. Property owner Alicia Dawn Culberson was arrested and charged with 10 counts of animal cruelty.

Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson called the property a puppy mill during a news conference.

"I don't know of a shelter anywhere that can handle 200 animals," said Roberson. "Getting rid of that many animals is very difficult, even for us. We've had to go to bigger organizations across the nation to help us. Once you get into the hundreds of animals, it's very difficult to deal with that."

Investigators rescued 44 dogs, six of which were dead, in January. Deputies found animals suffering from starvation, dehydration, parasites, severe matting, malnutrition or a combination of multiple health concerns. Some dogs were covered in urine and feces.

Many surviving animals were taken in at the Chatham County Sheriff's Office's Animal Resource Center. Some of the dogs were puppies.

Piles of trash and overturned dog kennels were scattered across the property on Jan. 25. On Tuesday, numerous dogs were seen in several kennels in the backyard. Animal control teams gathered in front of the home and at least a dozen law enforcement vehicles were seen parked there. Investigators worked to gather evidence and take photos of the conditions.

The BISSELL Pet Foundation, a national welfare organization has posted a notice on its website, saying the group was helping rescue dogs from 'an alleged puppy mill' in Chatham County on Tuesday. The foundation responded to an urgent request from Chatham deputies for help with taking the animals.

“A seizure of this size and magnitude is a crisis for any animal shelter. We applaud the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and animal resources for addressing this egregious case of neglect and cruelty,” said Cathy Bissell, founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. “These animals have been bred for greed with no regard for their health or welfare.”

Most of the dogs on the property are miniature schnauzer mixes.