Overview
- Police responding to a trespassing call on May 1 found a 15-foot U-Haul parked on private property with 21 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels locked in the cargo area that lacked ventilation or air conditioning.
- Officers heard barking, opened the roll-up door and removed the dogs while the owner returned in an SUV carrying 12 more dogs and was arrested at the scene.
- The Riverside County District Attorney filed 21 felony counts of animal cruelty plus two misdemeanor charges tied to abandonment and leaving animals unattended in a vehicle.
- Animal Friends of the Valleys and county animal-control crews took custody of all 33 dogs, gave them veterinary checks and are providing rehabilitation at their Lake Elsinore facility.
- The criminal case is pending and could lead to closer local scrutiny of how dogs are transported and of breeder or seller practices in Riverside County.