38 Pomeranians Seized from Home and Owner Arrested

A routine investigation into a theft lands one Baton Rouge lady in jail, plus 38 of her canine roomies are also locked up. 38 Pomeranian dogs have been seized from the woman's house and have been sent to animal control. WAFB's Jim Shannon has more on the Pomeranians in peril.

Police have charged 38-year-old Shauna Jenkins with one count of felony theft. She allegedly did not follow through on a sale of a dog, which landed her and her Pomeranians in prison. Shauna Jenkins has also been charged with 38 counts of cruelty. The dogs looked wide-eyed and scared as they came out one-by-one or two-by-two. 38 Pomeranians lived in a house on Annabelle. One of the dogs was found dead inside the home.

Sgt. Don Kelly with Baton Rouge police says, "When they arrived here this morning to talk to her, however, they found a pretty disturbing situation inside the home. We found probably 30 or more Pomeranians." Animal control officers loaded the pint-sized dogs into vans and transported them to the dog pound, where they were processed in but not without incident. Hilton Cole with animal control says, "One or two of them were snapping and biting, so they've been separated out."

The dogs now must await their fate, but their former caretaker has options to keep them. If she doesn't, Cole says, "We're gonna try and adopt them out. If she does post a bond on all of them or some of them, we'll have to hold them." Jenkins is accused of accepting a $5,000 payment for purchase of a Pomeranian dog from a New Hampshire broker. Police say they found probable cause to arrest her. The animal cruelty charges stem from the number of animals in a very small area. That kind of crowding is not legally permitted. She's not a licensed kennel.

Reporter:  Jim Shannon, WAFB 9NEWS