Jerry Hine, 83, of Stroud, has been charged with 408 felony counts of animal cruelty. Hine made his initial court appearance on July 24, and his pre-preliminary hearing has been scheduled for July 31, according to court documents.
A total of 404 dogs and puppies were removed from Add Love Pets, which Hine owned and operated, on July 16, through a coordinated effort by the Stroud Police Department (SPD), the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and Forestry (ODAFF), the Humane Society of Tulsa (HST) and other animal rescues, according to the probable cause affidavit prepared by Ofc. Christian Martin of SPD.
Others reported that Skiatook Paws and Claws Animal Rescue and Oklahoma Westie Rescue were present to help with managing the dogs on-site.
Currently, approximately 350 dogs are being housed by HST, while 37 are with Paws and Claws, according to social media updates.
In an update on July 23, HST said that the dogs have received critical vet care and the team is working to groom matted coats, which they report were full of feces, urine and dead cockroaches in some. They are currently accepting monetary donations, items from their Amazon wish list and volunteers at their Adoption Center to help continue care for the dogs and puppies. On July 25, HST posted that a team from ifaw arrived on July 21 to provide help with the cleaning and grooming.
On July 21, Skiatook Paws and Claws successfully raised over $140,000 in 11 hours to support not only the care of the Maltese pups but also the care of all the dogs and cats currently taken in by their rescue.
Hine was arrested on July 15 and booked in the Lincoln County Jail, where he remains in custody.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a representative from Paws and Claws spoke with Stroud Police on July 14, detailing the conditions at Add Love Pets and an altercation with Hine on July 12. The woman was there to take about 60 dogs.
It was reported that Hine had been contacting other rescues to take all of his dogs.
After a visit by SPD, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, ODAFF and the district attorney’s office, a search warrant was obtained, and an operation to remove all the dogs and puppies began. The affidavit said that when HST arrived, they began examining the dogs with a vet. Each was given a preliminary examination by the vet, photographed, tagged and put into a climatecontrolled trailer.
“Most of the dogs that were brought from inside the business had severely matted hair all over their body including around their rectum, backs, legs, stomachs, and mouths,” the affidavit said. “It appeared as if some of the dogs may have not even been able to excrete a bowel movement. It also appeared as if most of the dogs had minimal to no human interaction as well due to the fact the dogs would cower if you attempted to pick one up.”