Puppy Death Prompts Animal Cruelty Investigation In Riverside County

MEAD VALLEY, CA — Riverside County animal control officers Friday were forging ahead with a cruelty investigation stemming from the death of a puppy on a Mead Valley property that has been the source of complaints because of conditions and the number of dogs.

"The department takes cruelty investigations seriously," Department of Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said. "As with any investigation, we will follow all legal procedures required to be most successful. Any individuals who commit such acts must be pursued to the full extent of the law."

The current inquiry began on Jan. 10, when an area resident provided information to animal control personnel regarding the death of a puppy that became injured after possibly being attacked by another dog at the site, in the 21400 block of Salter Road, on a remote parcel at the south end of Mead Valley, according to agency spokesman John Welsh.

He said that a necropsy exam was performed on the dead pup, and lab results were pending to identify exactly how it died.

Welsh said that sheriff's deputies and Department of Code Enforcement officers have visited the location in the past in response to various complaints.

The property owner has been previously cited for not having a kennel license while possessing canines over the defined limit in an unincorporated dwelling, which is four.

Welsh said that animal control officers went to the property Wednesday, and the occupant, whose identity was not released, "relinquished ownership of six dogs, including three 4-month-olds."

The number of dogs still at the site was not disclosed.

"We want to ensure the public we have been to this property multiple times, and many of the reports on social media (regarding conditions) have proven to be unfounded," Department of Animal Services Commander Josh Sisler said. "We do not have evidence that the current circumstances merit immediate removal of the dogs remaining at this site. We cannot legally seize animals unless there are circumstances defined as exigent, per state law, which means urgent health or safety concerns."

He said that the current animal cruelty investigation will continue, and at the same time, officers will "visit this property regularly to keep eyes on the dogs currently there."