More cute puppies that overcame the horrors of a fake dog rescuer will be up for adoption Friday after a bunch of their excited little canine friends already found happiness in new homes.
Seven of nine puppies from a bogus dog rescue organization that have been nursed back to health were adopted in Irvine Wednesday.
Five more pups rescued from the bogus organization will be made available on Friday, according to Kim Mohr of the Irvine Police Department.
About 75 potential adopters attended Wednesday’s event at the Irvine Animal Care Center in Irvine, Mohr said.
Four other puppies not related to the case also found new homes, Mohr said.
The adoptions on Wednesday were handled like a lottery, with those interested in taking the puppies home filling out paperwork from the Irvine Animal Care Center at 6443 Oak Canyon from noon to 1:30 p.m. Then a lottery was held.
The nine were among 19 puppies in Megan Ann Hoechstetter’s possession at the time of her arrest, Mohr said.
Hoechstetter, 42, was charged Monday with 20 counts of keeping an animal without proper care and two counts of animal abuse by a caretaker, all misdemeanors, according to Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Malone.
Hoechstetter allegedly established a fake rescue organization online to sell dogs she may have gotten from Mexico and that did not receive proper care, Mohr said. One of the business names she operated under was “Pawlosophy,” Mohr said.
When police went to arrest the suspect at a hotel in Cypress, they found 13 puppies, which were taken to the city’s animal care center for “much needed care,” Mohr said.
Hoechstetter is accused of “puppy flipping” over the past few years, Malone said.
Hoechstetter was getting the puppies in Tijuana, Malone said. Adoptive families were paying about $450 for the puppies, but some ended up paying up to $7,500 in veterinary bills trying to save the dogs, Malone said.
Thirty 8-week-old dogs either succumbed to their illnesses or were euthanized, Malone said.
Hoechstetter is scheduled to be arraigned April 28. She could face up to 12 years in jail if convicted at trial.
— City News Service