‘Bounced back.’ Pups in Pines animal abuse case recovering; two up for adoption
Life for the three Pembroke Pines pups rescued from a squalid home in early February is looking a lot sweeter, according to the nonprofit that nursed them back to health.
Animal rescue Pooches in Pines took in Lana, Peaches and Sasha on Feb. 2, hours after Pembroke Pines police found the dogs critically underfed, cramped in an outdoor cage in freezing conditions, and covered in feces and urine.
Their former owner — 25-year-old Jaylen Holmes — faces animal abuse charges for his severe neglect of the pups.
In the weeks since their rescue, all three have found loving foster homes and are making progress in their recovery, with one — 5-month-old mix breed Sasha — being adopted recently, the nonprofit said.
“They were all severely malnourished. Our vet said that the littlest one (Lana) was the most severe case of malnutrition that he’d ever seen in any dog in all his years of being a veterinarian,” Amanda Goodwin, Pooches in Pines’ president, told the Pembroke Pines News. “They bounced back so quickly within three to four weeks. They almost doubled their body weight.”
But the journey to a forever home for 5-month-old mix breed Lana and 2-year-old French bulldog Peaches is still far from over, the nonprofit shared in a Feb. 25 Instagram post calling for adoption applicants.
“It’s so incredible to witness first-hand the transformation these 3 pups are going through,” reads the post. “Although the (Pembroke Pines Police Department) court cases are still pending, we will be looking for ‘potential’ forever homes for Lana and Peaches.”
The rescue, court case updates
PPPD officers discovered the pups on Feb. 1, caged in a 4-foot-by-5-foot crate on Holmes’ front patio, following a neighbor’s tip to the police department.
They were found shivering in the 40-degree weather during a two-day county-wide “freeze watch” that forecast feels-like temperatures dropping into the 20s.
“The dogs were unable to move due to being in such close proximity to each other and restricted,” Holmes’ arrest report reads. “The bone structure of all three dogs was visibly apparent, including their ribs, spine, and midsection.”
Inside the home, police spotted piles of urine and feces on the floor and in a crate, adding that the home was in “extreme disarray and unsanitary condition.”
Several overturned food bowls looked unused for a long time, they noted, and there was no water available for the dogs to drink.
“They all had hookworms. ... Peaches was anemic and (Lana) was anemic,” Goodwin said. “They all had infections on their ears and were all covered in pee and poop from sitting in the crate that they were found in.”
Holmes was arrested after police surveyed his home and booked into Broward Main Jail, where he’s since bonded out.
He faces two third-degree felony charges of aggravated animal cruelty and 12 misdemeanor charges of curelty to animals, enclosing animals without air and confining animals without sufficient food or water.
The city is also suing for custody of Lana, Peaches and Sasha to be stripped from Holmes, with a Feb. 26 hearing set to determine if the dogs will be handed over to Pembroke Pines.
Adoption process
Choosing Lana and Peaches’ forever homes is not as easy as picking the first applicants to fawn over the pups, according to Goodwin.
Pooches in Pines prides itself on having a selective adoption process that matches a dog and its prospective owners on several criteria, including lifestyle, other pets in the home and ability to provide medical resources such as spaying, neutering and regular vet visits.
“We have had some applications for both, but we’re obviously looking for the best fit for each dog because they’ve had a rough start to life,” Goodwin said. “We want them to go to a place that we know is going to be the best for them.”
For Lana, that looks like an owner who embraces her playful, social disposition.
The nonprofit says the 8-pound mix-breed is potty trained, able to sleep in her crate all night, and gets along well with other cats and dogs.
She’s also great with kids, but is known to play bite and has sharp teeth, so the nonprofit recommends applicants with older children and another “small, playful dog” that can match her energy.
Matching Peaches is a bit trickier thanks to her marbled “Merle” coat that makes her a rare, highly coveted French bulldog.
“She’s a very attractive dog. Everybody wants her, but not everybody is capable,” Goodwin said. “We also are requiring someone who has prior Frenchie experience because they have a lot of medical problems and issues and we want to be transparent with the potential adopter.”
Peaches is up to date on her vaccines and will soon be spayed and chipped, according to Pooches in Pines. She loves to “sun tan” and play outside, can walk on a leash and sleeps in a crate through the night.
Though the Merle Frenchie loves to be near people and is “mostly housebroken,” the nonprofit warns she doesn’t do well with small animals and hasn’t been exposed to cats.
To scout the pups’ next owners, Pooches in Pines will follow its usual protocal, a multi-step process that includes vetting applications, interviewing prospective adopters, calling personal references, hosting a meet-and-greet visit with the pup and surveying the future home.
The final step — a brief “foster” period followed by official adoption — could come weeks or months after an applicant submits their request, Goodwin says.
Those looking to permanetly add Lana or Peaches to their family are encouraged to apply via the nonprofit’s online adoption form. For more information on the dogs’ recovery and rehoming efforts, check out the nonprofit’s Instagram account.
