Animal Humane Society takes in 22 dogs from breeder north of Twin Cities

The Animal Humane Society recently took in 22 dogs from a breeder north of the Twin Cities who was reported to be keeping too many of the animals.

The breeder had its license revoked by the state's Board of Animal Health, the Humane Society said in a news release Thursday.

The dogs are now up for adoption and include a variety of breeds and crossbreeds, including St. Bernards, Labrador retrievers, setters, and a mix of doodles. They range in age from newborn puppies to an 8-year-old dog. They are currently housed at Animal Humane Society's shelter in Golden Valley, where they arrived Dec. 1.

Two of the puppies were born in transit to the shelter, according to Animal Humane Society communications strategist Sarah Bhimani.

Bhimani said this is the largest group of dogs she remembers being taken in from a breeder in her three-plus years working there but not the largest in the organization's history.

"In terms of humane investigations, as a whole, usually our cases are a little bit smaller," Bhimani said. "I would say this is kind of a middle size."

Bhimani said the Animal Humane Society was not authorized to reveal the county where the breeder was located. The Board of Animal Health did not immediately respond to questions about the case Thursday evening.

She noted the dogs have a range of personalities, with some still learning things such as how to walk on a leash.

"Some are very sweet and loving, and some are a little bit more hesitant and kind of still learning how to be a dog," she said.

Although the organization is trying to find homes for the dogs as soon as possible, there is no time limit on adoption at Animal Humane Society.

"We're not concerned about trying to rush them out the door or anything like that," she said.