URBANA, Mo. — More than a dozen dogs, including puppies, were rescued from a breeder in Hickory County over the weekend. The Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Task Force said this is not the first time the group has encountered this breeder.

According to the Humane Society of Missouri (HSMO) the facility has continued to breed dogs even without a license and is facing litigation from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

Over the weekend of April 23 and 24, 2022, task force members rescued 19 dogs, which were all mastiff breeds from the Urbana facility. Many of the dogs were puppies as young as one-week-old, according to the Humane Society.

The facility was found in violation of the Animal Care Facilities Act in January of 2021 and is banned from getting a license to breed animals.

In October of 2021, the Animal Cruelty Task Force (ACT) rescued nearly 100 dogs from the kennel, which operated under the names Cridder Creek Kennel and Little Miracles Kennel.

HSMO said most of the puppies are very young and dependent on their mothers. Veterinarians will evaluate the dogs that are not dependent on their mothers and those dogs will be put up for adoption on a case-by-case basis.

The Humane Society of Missouri is taking donations to help the rescued mastiff dogs on its website.

If you know of an animal that is in danger or is being neglected or abused, you can report the incident to local police and the Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Hotline. That number is (314) 647-4400.