PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The owners of a Northeast Portland animal boarding and rescue facility have been charged with 157 counts of second degree Animal Neglect.
Tori Head and Samantha Miller, owners of Woofin Palooza LLC, were also charged with 13 counts of Identity Theft and 15 counts of Forgery in the Second Degree following a criminal investigation launched last summer.
A 185-count charging document alleges the business–listed as a training, boarding, rescue and daycare for pets–engaged in inappropriate housing and confinement of more than 100 dogs and cats that resulted in criminal animal neglect.
Multnomah County Animal Services conducted a boarding facility inspection on August 1 with the investigating officer noting Woofin Palooza was getting overwhelmed with all the animals in its possession based on the conditions observed inside the business. Ten days later, the Portland Police Bureau and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office executed a search warrant resulting in the seizure of 117 animals.
A veterinarian who accompanied the search warrant team reported the following, according to court documents:
- Cats were “housed in kennels or spaces that [were] not appropriate in size or number to provide adequate space.”
- While the dog kennels “allowed for dogs to stand, turn around and lay down,” several “contained too many dogs for the space allotted and no kennels were double sided to allow dogs to eliminate away from their bedding or food.”
- Both cats and dogs were “inappropriately housed as naïve animals (those with immature immune systems, including nursing puppies/kittens, young dogs/cats)” in “close or direct contact with adult animals of varying ages/sizes.” This risks the spread of multiple infectious diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
- Cats and dogs were “inappropriately housed in the same location leading to stress, increasing the chances of immune system suppression which will contribute to the spread of infectious disease.”
- The facility was “unkempt with feces and urine on the floors of animal enclosures, litter throughout the kennels and flooring, and storage of dirty kennels on top of currently occupied kennels.” Occupied and soiled kennels stacked on top of other kennels “allows for urine and feces to run from one kennel into another, which can lead to the spread of pathogens.”
Investigators also discovered vaccinations that was given out with many adopted animals was fraudulent bearing the name and/or signature of various veterinarians, according to court documents. Additionally, many of the animals in the custody of Woofin Palooza LLC contracted illnesses and diseases, which resulted in health complications leading to death.
See the full affidavit below: