It started with a tip. And by the time the raid was over, more than 400 dogs were in urgent need of care, and one of Oklahoma’s most notorious commercial breeders was behind bars.

The small storefront operation in Stroud, Oklahoma known as Add Love Pets was supposed to be a breeding business. Instead, law enforcement officers and rescuers found a scene that one volunteer called “the worst I’ve ever seen.”

A total of 405 Maltese and Maltese-mix dogs were removed from a 50-by-50-foot building next to a grocery store. The air was thick with ammonia. Cages were stacked. Feces and urine coated the dogs’ fur. Cockroaches crawled through bedding. Some dogs were injured. Others were starving. All were living in squalor.

The facility’s 84-year-old owner, Jerry Hine, was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. He had been operating Add Love Pets for over a decade. His state breeding license had expired just weeks before the raid. A December inspection counted only 180 dogs—less than half the number found during the rescue.

A system of oversight that failed

In theory, commercial breeders in Oklahoma are required to be licensed and inspected by the state’s agriculture department. But records show gaps. At one point, the state had only a single inspector for all breeders. Surprise visits were rare. And Add Love Pets had been the subject of complaints for years.

It wasn’t until Amber Ridenour of Skiatook Paws & Claws attempted to retrieve 60 dogs in early July that the case exploded. What she found inside the facility—overcrowding, filth, and threats from the owner—prompted her to pull out and call authorities. Within days, the Humane Society of Tulsa, Oklahoma Westie Rescue, and local police joined forces. The building was raided. Every dog was removed.

Now, animal welfare advocates are asking hard questions: how did the operation continue for so long? Why wasn’t the license expiration a red flag? And will anything change?

What happens next for the dogs

The rescued dogs are being treated by teams of veterinarians and volunteers. Some were so matted with feces that their fur had to be shaved down to the skin. Many are receiving antibiotics for skin and eye infections. Nearly all require socialization.

They’re not ready for adoption yet. The dogs are technically evidence in a cruelty case. But rescuers say they’re making progress. “They’re a lot closer to a happy ending than they were yesterday,” said Lawrence DePriest of the Humane Society of Tulsa.

In the meantime, shelters are asking for help. Donations of food, towels, and cleaning supplies are pouring in. Foster families are on standby.

The hope is that once the legal case is resolved, the dogs will be able to start new lives in safe homes. Until then, the rescue community is working around the clock to keep them safe.

As one rescuer said, “They’ve lived their entire lives in misery. Now it’s our job to show them what love looks like.”

Learn more about the incident from Tulsa’s NewChannel8 on YouTube by watching here.