A Fremont County man is accused of having dogs and newborn puppies living in a trailer so contaminated with feces and urine that law enforcement officers could barely stand inside without becoming sick.
Dan Lee Smith faces 17 charges of animal cruelty for allegedly having the animals living in the trailer in inhumane conditions while he lived in a truck parked in the driveway, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Scott Gardner wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
Smith is scheduled for an arraignment on Wednesday in Fremont County District Court, where he’ll plead to the 17 misdemeanor charges, each punishable by up to 6 months in jail.
He is being held at the Fremont County Detention Center.
Feces Covered The Floor
The investigation began Jan. 2 when Gardner responded to a Fremont County residence after a woman reported her dog had been taken from her home and was later found locked inside a van at Smith's property, the affidavit says.
Deputies were told a man, identified as Smith, had been living on the property for several years out of a truck parked in the driveway because the trailer itself had no running water or heat, Gardner wrote.
When deputies were granted permission to enter the trailer, they were immediately hit by an “overwhelming odor of feces and ammonia,” according to the affidavit.
Animal feces covered the floor throughout the residence.
Inside, deputies located two adult dogs — a male and a female. The female appeared to have recently given birth.
When asked about puppies, Smith reportedly told investigators there were actually two litters, and another female dog, inside the trailer — one with six puppies and another with seven, the affidavit says.
No Food Or Water
“Sergeant Gardner was unable to take a step without stepping in feces,” the affidavit said, adding that deputies had to leave the trailer because the ammonia smell was so overpowering.
Gardner ordered Smith outside as well citing health concerns and detained him on suspicion of animal cruelty for allowing the animals to live in what investigators described as deplorable and unlivable conditions.
A hazardous materials team later responded to recover the animals. Authorities removed three adult dogs, 12 puppies, and a juvenile cat from the trailer.
Investigators said one litter of puppies had been born so recently their eyes had not yet opened. Another litter’s eyes were only barely open.
Deputies also noted the adult dogs appeared unfamiliar with being outdoors, the affidavit says.
“The adult dogs that were removed reacted in a manner that appeared they had never experienced being outside of the trailer before,” the affidavit states.
Investigators reported there were no visible signs of food or water inside the residence, and that deputies observed dogs eating feces from the floor.
The Pups Are OK
The animals were taken to the Paws for Life Animal Adoption Center in Riverton, where shelter staff began the long process of rehabilitating them.
Shelter Manager Whitney Fontes told Cowboy State Daily that the rescued dogs included two male pit bull mixes and two females — a chocolate Lab mix and a shepherd mix named Nova.
“The mamas for sure did not have enough nutrition to be feeding six puppies each,” Fontes said. “They were very skinny. We’re still trying to put weight on Nova. You could see ribs on all of them.”
One of the male dogs, Rudy, arrived with a partially healed wound on his hip.
“We don’t know if he got attacked or caught on something,” she said. “At first he was really nervous about us touching him. We had to earn a lot of trust with him.”
Within days, staff members began breaking through to the animals.
“Now he’s snuggly and honestly one of my favorite dogs on the property,” Fontes said. “He’s got hearts in his eyes.”
Rudy, another male dog named Buddy Baxter, and Nova remain at the shelter and are available for adoption.
All of the puppies were claimed before they were old enough to leave the shelter and have since been adopted out, said Fontes. One puppy later contracted parvovirus and died.
The cat, later renamed Nemo, was also quickly adopted.
“She was here for about 20 days,” Fontes said. “Now she’s happy as a clam.”
Severe Cases
Fontes said cases this severe are uncommon, but not rare.
“Not often,” she said. “But often enough that we’re consistently dealing with it.”
The shelter sees an estimated two to six major neglect cases each year involving animals that are terrified, unsocialized, or recovering from severe living conditions.
“It tears us down emotionally,” Fontes said. “We have the most compassionate team you can imagine. A lot of our staff will sit outside with these dogs for hours just earning trust.”
Over time, she said, many of the animals begin transforming.
“By the time we’re done, they’re snuggly and they love us,” she said. “But it’s hard seeing how terrified they are when they first come in.”
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
