HENDERSON (KTNV) — At least 39 dogs were confiscated from a suspected "backyard breeding" operation in Henderson on Wednesday, Clark County officials confirmed.
Of the 39 animals seized from a home in the 2000 block of Lincoln Road, 35 are French Bulldogs, officials said. Four of the dogs appeared to be pregnant, and one of them had recently given birth to four "neonatal" puppies.
"Initial assessment suggests these dogs were part of an illegal backyard breeding operation," a statement from Clark County reads.
Henderson police said they discovered the dogs while serving a search warrant in a drug investigation.
Two men, Alberto Gonzalez-Fleites and Yankiel Gonzalez, were arrested for "various drug related offenses," police said.
All of the impounded dogs were taken to The Animal Foundation, which the shelter says brings its total animal population up to 853 — a number shelter officials called "past critical capacity."
In just the past two days, the local shelter has taken in at least 338 dogs, officials said.
This prompted the shelter to put out an urgent call for help from the community in fostering and rehoming some of the hundreds of animals currently in its care.
The Animal Foundation will host an emergency foster event on Friday, June 14 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Foster volunteers are asked to fill out an application before arriving at the shelter.
The criminal investigation in this case was described as ongoing.
