Officials seize dogs at suspected puppy mill

BLACKWELL, Mo. -- Nearly 30 dogs were rescued Thursday from a suspected Jefferson County puppy mill that investigators believe may have been run by those responsible for 26 sick cats seized last week, authorities said.

The 28 dogs taken into the Humane Society of Missouri's custody were found suffering from ear, teeth and eye ailments typically associated with neglected animals, the agency said.

Prosecutors are investigating whether animal-neglect charges are warranted against anyone associated with the dogs, many of them puppies of popular small breeds.

The Humane Society said the site appears to have been run by the same unlicensed breeders alleged to have neglected the 26 cats rescued a week earlier from a St. Francois County mobile home in Blackwell, near the Jefferson County line.

There, authorities said, some of the felines were feeding off eight dead ones found inside the home.