Dogs in Abuse Case Up for Adoption After Rescue from Deplorable Conditions: 'You Couldn't Even Recognize Them'

The three dogs — a Bernese Mountain dog and two other small dog breeds — will need medical assistance from their future families

Three dogs in Pennsylvania have a new lease on life after being rescued.

The canines had been part of an animal abuse and hoarding case, in which a couple, identified as Nyal and Renee Piper, were accused of taking in dozens of animals and neglecting them, according to WTAJ and the Associated Press.

The three dogs — a Bernese Mountain dog and two other small dog breeds — were found in the couple’s Johnstown, Penn home and brought to the Bedford County Humane Society. So far, 90 dogs, eight cats, and a turtle formerly belonging to the couple have been rescued.

The Bedford County Humane Society told WTAJ that the dogs had been found in poor health as a result of the deplorable conditions they had been living in and would need major rehabilitation.

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“We always try to pair them up with the right home,” Kathy Ramsey with the Bedford Humane Society told WTAJ. “The potential adopters, they need to be able to take care of them medically. Some of them do have some medical issues so they would have to be able to take that responsibility on.”

Court documents obtained by the outlet noted that the pups were kept in floor-to-ceiling cages and weren’t fed much food or water. Officers also noted that the inside of the home was covered with dog feces.

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Some families have adopted dogs that were rescued from the animal abuse case and have had different experiences when it came to rehabilitating the pets.

One pet adopter noted to WTAJ that she had a longer road to rehabilitation with the dog she chose, as the pup “didn’t know how to eat out of a bowl or how to drink water.” She also had to get the dog to the veterinarian to have “teeth pulled” due to an “infection” and to get medication.

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Another adopter, Jackie Byer, said a 5-year-old corgi that she adopted didn’t require as much medical attention, but she understood why many other dogs were struggling. She had previously helped out the Bedford County Humane Society with the rescue and remembered how horrific the pups looked when they came in.

“You couldn’t even recognize them,” Byer said. “They were so matted and we went into a room where they were shaving and taking care of them to see and help.”

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