50 of the 140 shih tzus seized from affluent California home now ready for adoption
Orange County supervisors had their arms full on Tuesday – but instead of political strife, they carried shih tzus that were among the 140 or so seized last month from an affluent Orange foothills home.
Some of the small dogs were cuddled in orange blankets by the supervisors as they announced that 50 were up for adoption.
The furry lot have been in the care of OC Animal Care since May 30, when the shih tzus were taken from Edward Reitkopp and his wife, Josephine Reitkopp, who were both cited for animal cruelty and lost custody of the dogs. Animal-control officers in hazardous-materials suits descended on their home after an anonymous tip and carried off the dogs, many of them dirty and ill.
Mike Kaviani, OC Animal Care’s director, said the 50 dogs have been medically cleared and are ready for news homes. Fortunately, the county agency has had lots of interested parties since the news broke of the dogs’ rescue.
“We’ve been inundated with inquiries about when they’ll be available for adoption,” Kaviani said. “Honestly, I do expect more qualified adopters than we have dogs.”
Those interested in adopting can go to OC Animal Care‘s website; prices range from $100 to $225 per dog, based on the pet’s age and whether the owner is 60 or older or has been in the U.S. military. The fee includes microchipping and vaccinations.
OC Animal Care staffers will evaluate applications when they come in and contact qualified parties to set up appointments to meet the dogs. Once matches are made, the dogs will be spayed or neutered and then can go home.
The remaining dogs are still receiving medical care, the director said. He anticipated another batch of the shih tzus would be ready for adoption in the coming weeks.
Citing the pending investigation, Kaviani declined to say if any of the roughly 140 original dogs that were seized had died.
Though he would not give details about what type of illnesses or conditions they had, he said many of them were inbred. Those adopting the dogs will be updated on the medical histories.
“We do expect the likelihood of some medical issues following them, and so we’re ensuring our adopters are very aware of that before they adopt,” Kaviani said.
At the time the animals were taken from the home, the owners were cited for misdemeanor animal cruelty.
City code-enforcement officials deemed the Reitkopp house unlivable and red-tagged it when the dogs were taken, meaning the owners had to leave. It remained that way as of Tuesday, Orange police said, adding that the owners were allowed to return during the day only to work to bring the house up to code.
When asked if any charges had been filed yet, a District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman said not yet. Prosecutors are waiting for more information from Orange police investigators, who continue to work on the case.
The dogs are puppies to seniors.
“We are seeing a group of dogs that really do have an optimistic spirit,” Kaviani said. “Some are very playful, very social, very active. Others are much more on the calmer side, more on the shy side, a little bit more reserved.”
If people can’t adopt one of these dogs, they are encouraged to consider other residents with OC Animal Care, the director said. The agency is over capacity.
“There are hundreds of phenomenal pets here waiting to go home,” he said.