By ABBY SIMONS
Each of the 30 Shih Tzus living in the tiny north Minneapolis home were affectionately named.
There was Honey and Gizzy, Itsy and Bitsy, Trinket and Tippy Toe.
But when Marilyn Fisher, manager of shelter operations for Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, picks up Scharmin, who weighs no more than a few pounds, it's clear something is wrong. The little dog's tail wags, but her pink tongue hangs limply from her mouth, the result of a years-old broken jaw that was never fixed. Others have skin diseases, their fur caked with urine and feces. Or they have missing teeth, or cataracts.
"A lot of them are going to need extensive veterinary care for the rest of their lives," Fisher said, gently stroking the trembling dog's fur.
It's a litany of challenges animal control officials now face in patching up most of the 30 medically neglected Shih Tzus seized Tuesday from the home of a 74-year-old Minneapolis woman who authorities say was practicing "back yard breeding" by selling the dogs through an online business, Tiny Paws Tzus. After neighbors complained of the smell coming from the house, authorities entered with a search warrant, and they seized the dogs despite the woman's resistance. Animal control will recommend charges for animal cruelty and neglect..." More
David Denney
