Dogs rescued from Tiffin puppy mill finally find their ‘furever’ homes

Tiffin, Ohio — A group of dogs that were rescued from a Tiffin area puppy mill earlier this month were adopted out at the Wyandot County Humane Society’s adoption event on Saturday, finally being matched with their new owners and “fur-ever” homes.

“We just wanted to thank everyone who came to our adoption event today. Everyone was very patient and it took awhile for everyone to get through to see the dogs, but everything went very smoothly and all of our adoptable puppy mill dogs that were available, were adopted plus several other dogs,” a statement from the Humane Society of Wyandot County stated. “It was a great day!!!”

The breeds of dogs included Schnauzer, Cairn Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso and Papillon. Some other breeds were also adopted out to their new families at the event on Saturday.

Some of the dogs went to breed-specific rescue groups while others are still awaiting clearance to be ready for adoption, according to the Humane Society of Wyandot County.

The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office said a search warrant was signed for them to enter the puppy mill at 5046 State Highway 53, where they found 150 dogs in total — one of them deceased and 149 removed and homed at the Humane Society of Wyandot County, earlier this month.

Following the initial search warrant, another was signed by Judge Jay Meyer of the Seneca County Juvenile and Probate Court, which was executed last week at 175 N. Sandusky St., the residence of Orville and Debbra Alabaugh.

There, seventeen additional dogs were found after neighbors reported hearing barking dogs from the basement. Two Maltese dogs, two Schnauzers, two Papillons, two Bichons, and nine Shih Tzus.

According to a source familiar with the situation, someone would go to the building only three times a week to feed, water, and clean out cages.

Orville Alabaugh and Debbra Alabaugh, both of Tiffin, own the alleged puppy mill on SR 53, according to the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office. They say the couple could face potential criminal prosecution and charges through the Ohio Department of Agriculture.