Puppy Lovers Flood Shelter With Their Adoption Requests

A San Clemente animal shelter that last month received dozens of Pomeranian puppies from an allegedly illegal kennel was overwhelmed this week by more than 2,500 calls from pet lovers who wanted to adopt the fluffy, fox-faced dogs.

“The phones were ringing so bad we couldn’t get any [other] calls,” said Rick Gilliland, general manager of Coastal Animal Services Authority, a municipal shelter. “Our fax line was so busy it just clogged. We kept feeding paper in, and [the adoption applications] just kept coming in one after another.”

The animals arrived Jan. 27 from a Dana Point kennel that authorities say was being operated illegally. The 39 puppies, many of them suffering from respiratory problems and parasites strained the facility’s resources.

Volunteers and staffers gave around-the-clock care, feeding the new arrivals and administering medication while tending to the 30 cats and 40 dogs that were already on hand.

“It was organized chaos,” Gilliland said.

The Pomeranian puppies, ranging in age from 6 weeks to 4 months when confiscated, were being kept in an attic room at the Dana Point home of Mark Bock, 36, and Jeffrey Worley, 37. The two men operate a business called Pearlie’s House of Pomeranians.

They pleaded not guilty Monday to 50 misdemeanor counts each of animal abuse and neglect but agreed to relinquish 35 of the dogs for adoption. Of the confiscated pups, one died at the shelter, and three personal pets will be returned to Bock and Worley.

Bock disputed the allegations Thursday. He said the animals were not mistreated and that they became sick after they were taken from the pair’s care.

Bock said the puppies were not being sold from his Dana Point home. They were being raised so they could be shipped to a kennel the pair owns in Missouri. There the dogs would be used for breeding, Bock said.

“There was no animal cruelty,” he said. The animal control officer and the shelter are “spreading lies, innuendo and rumor. It will all come out in court.”

Publicity surrounding the case has made the puppies hot items. The shelter has fielded more than 2,500 calls asking about how they can adopt the dogs, Gilliland said. The shelter doubled its usual office staff of six volunteers to deal with the influx of inquiries, he said.

“We have 350 applications, and we only have 35 dogs,” Gilliland said. The shelter is charging a $485 adoption fee, which includes the shelter’s normal $85 fee, plus $400 to recoup expenses for veterinarian bills, boarding fees and staff overtime. The shelter has spent nearly $23,000 caring for the puppies, Gilliland said.

That’s a steal, said Nancy Hunter, a former breeder from Brea. Pomeranian puppies range in price from $800 to $8,000.

“They’re cute and they make wonderful pets,” she said. “They stay small, they have a nice coat ... they’re very affectionate and want to be with you all the time.”