Dogs rescued from Topeka home get care — and belly rubs and kisses — they didn't before

Doug Pursley is making sure Sadie the Great Dane gets the love she never had in her former life.

Sadie was shockingly thin and afraid of men after being among 73 dogs and cats rescued Jan. 30 from a Topeka house where authorities said conditions were "horrific."

Meanwhile, Pursley had been grieving over the deaths of his beloved 12-year-old pet schnauzer and his best friend since childhood.

A heart-rending TV news report about the Topeka animal rescue then caught the attention of Pursley and his wife, Amy.

When Amy Pursley later learned some of the rescued dogs were available to adopt, she told her husband.

On Feb. 22, they came home with Sadie.

Doug Pursley and Sadie played joyfully Tuesday in the backyard of their Overland Park home as Amy Pursley talked about the closeness that has developed between the two.

"I think they're helping each other heal — Doug from his grief and Sadie just from her life," she said. "They're kind of finding their way together."

'Filth and feces'

The Pursleys are among scores of adopters who opened their hearts and homes to animals rescued after being found living amid filthy, hazardous conditions at 1415 S.W. Fillmore, where 18 deceased animals were also found.

Those animals lived "in squalor, with floors and walls coated in layers of filth and feces, and no apparent access to clean water," the Humane Society of the United States said on Facebook.

Many were emaciated and ill with a variety of serious conditions, including upper respiratory problems and eye issues, it said.

One dog had pneumonia, was dehydrated and extremely emaciated, and had skin issues and muscle wasting, said Kirsten Peek, manager of media relations for HSUS.

HSUS official: All rescued animals have been adopted

Peek said that after spending time recovering at animal shelters, all 73 of the rescued animals have been adopted.

She acknowledged some have "ongoing, long-term veterinary needs and still have a road to recovery ahead."

Merriam's Great Plains SPCA shelter helped The Capital-Journal contact the new owners for some of those animals rescued in Topeka.

Those adopters talked happily Tuesday about the satisfaction they've gotten from watching their new dogs heal.

'Big beds and shoes'

Doug Pursley recalled that one of the first times he took Sadie into his backyard, she spent about three minutes staring at the sky.

She probably hadn't seen the sky much when she lived in the house in Topeka, he said.

Sadie, who'd previously been named Brittany, is thought to be 4 years old.

She had scabs on her skin and gave off a bad odor in her initial days at the Pursley home, Amy Pursley said.

Sadie also clearly had emotional damage, she said. She slept a lot, acted timidly, was afraid to climb stairs and hid whenever she heard a loud noise. But after about a week, she started to run, play and climb their house's stairs, Amy Pursley said.

"Once she realized what was upstairs — big beds and shoes — she was happy to go there," she said.

Cuddling, running and rolling on her back

Today, Sadie loves going on walks, running in the backyard, sitting on the couch, cuddling with family members, socializing with other dogs, acting silly — particularly by rolling on her back — and eating, Amy Pursley said.

She's gained about 15 pounds since she's been adopted.

Two elderly male dogs and a cat also live with the Pursleys, who have been married 25 years and have a history of owning animals adopted from shelters.

Both Pursleys work from home. They have two adult sons and a 19-year-old daughter, Maggie Pursley, who lives with them while attending college.

Sometimes when she gets home, Maggie Pursley said, Sadie greets her by grabbing her sleeve with her teeth to try to lead her to a place where they can play together.

'The ultimate goof'

Sadie was buddies at the Great Plains shelter with Astro, an 18-month-old Great Dane whose name was then Conner.

Life is good these days for Astro, who enjoys going to the dog park, playing with toys, cuddling and eating.

Astro has gained 29 points since his adoption, said his owner, Tatiana Darby. She acknowledges that she's quick to feed him treats.

Darby adopted Astro on "Leap Day," Feb. 29, she said.

She chose the name Astro because she likes space-themed names. Darby works out of her home and has no other pets.

'Is he a Dalmatian?'

Darby talked about why she likes Astro, saying he is clumsy in a loveable way. She described him as "the ultimate goof."

Astro's colors are light brown and white, a combination Darby described as being "kind of cow-like."

She said she sometimes gets asked "Is he a Dalmatian?"

As Astro sat on her couch Tuesday with Darby, he constantly made sure at least one part of his body was in contact with at least one part of hers.

Astro initially showed signs of timidity, including a fear of climbing stairs, Darby said.

But she said he overcame that fear quickly — which was necessary, as she lives on the third floor of a brick apartment building in Kansas City, Missouri.

'The most loving dog ever'

Being kept in a kennel almost all her life has left 9-month-old Kelce with "some deformities" to her feet, acknowledges her owner, Melinda Massey.

But Massey hopes that will "fix itself" over time for the pit bull mix puppy.

Kelce is "the most loving dog ever," said Massey. She said she adopted Kelce three or four weeks ago from the Great Plains shelter.

Kelce lives at Blue Springs, Missouri, with Massey, her fiancé and her three daughters, one of whom lives there full-time and the other two part-time. The household has no other pets.

Massey said she's suffered from an unspecified chronic illness for more than a year and came upon Kelce while browsing for a puppy who could be trained to be her service animal.

"Kelce was her name at the shelter so we decided to just keep it, because that's kind of what she was used to already, and I hated to change it on her after what she had been through," Massey said.

She said she isn't certain whether the dog was named after Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

"We joke and say we named her after Travis Kelce," she said.

Massey's dog is "almost a Travis Kelce in dog form," she said, adding, "She definitely has his energy."

Kelce's afraid of loud noises, sudden movements and the sound of a vacuum cleaner, Massey said.

'Living her best life'

Kelce was "very timid" when she was first adopted, Massey said, adding that she initially wasn't sure if the puppy was capable of playing.

But Kelce seems to be starting to come out of her shell, Massey said. The puppy enjoys running around, both inside the house and in the backyard, she said.

Kelce is super playful with people, and loves to get belly rubs and give kisses, Massey said, adding that she's very gentle and careful not to bite or nip when she's playing with Massey's children.

Kelce's favorite activities include snuggling and spending time outside, especially on a warm day.

"She'll stretch her whole body out and just lay in the yard for hours if we let her," Massey said.

She said she plans to get Kelce some obedience training and then some service dog training, so she can be Massey's service dog.

"She's just living her best life," Massey said.

What's happened with the pending criminal case?

Topeka police, who took part in the Jan. 30 animal rescue, arrested Charles C. Solomon, 28, and Desiree E. Therrien, 30, both of Topeka.

Solomon remained an inmate Wednesday in the Shawnee County Jail, where he was being held on a $10,000 bond in connection with 26 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals, jail records said.

Solomon was charged with those 26 counts after he admitted to having been in charge of caring for 26 dogs, said a police charging affidavit linked to the case.

Solomon is set to enter a plea in the case at 1:30 p.m. May 3, according to Shawnee County District Court records.

Therrien hasn't been charged in the case, those records show.

More: Authorities seized Topekans' neglected dogs and cats but not their 2-year-old daughter

The Jan. 30 Topeka animal rescue is linked to the rescue Jan. 24 and 25 of 10 dogs, nine of them Great Danes, from property near Louisburg, 84 miles southeast of Topeka, the Miami County Sheriff's Office said.

Ten deceased dogs were found at that scene, it said.

That case remained under investigation this past week, with court records showing no charges had been filed.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Dogs rescued from Topeka home get love and care they didn't before