Deputies Find Dogs Living In Filth

WESTMORELAND, Tenn. -- Some very big dogs were found in poor conditions in a Sumner County barn, authorities said.

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The dogs are owned by Brittany Bergez, whose company is called Dutch Creek Kennels. Police have accused her of animal cruelty and neglect and have confiscated the animals from the filthy barn.

Some of the dogs were mastiffs, which are large dogs, and Sumner County sheriff's deputies said they were locked in their pens full of feces with only a half-full bottle of water for the three dogs in the pen to drink.

The dogs were taken from a barn north of Westmoreland. Michael Cummins said he used to work there until about a month ago. He said the dogs appeared to be well-fed even though he was concerned when two dogs slipped out and tried to bite him.

"They came out of that pen right there and bit on my pants' leg and stuff," he said.

Cummins said he suspected that the owner might have been fighting the dogs in one pen in the barn.

Detectives said they expect to charge Bergez with animal cruelty and neglect. Some of the dogs are scarred or have matted eyes, and one has a broken leg.

The animals are being housed in a pen for police dogs until the sheriffs department can move them to more spacious quarters.

They're being cared for by volunteers, and detectives said they hope that at some future court hearing, a judge will rule that the dogs should be put up for adoption.

Nineteen of the 44 dogs are mastiffs and the deputies said their puppies can sell for as much as $800 each.

The sheriff's investigators said they were initially checking out complaints about another nearby breeder and found no problems there, but then noticed the barn full of dogs and got a search warrant.

The owners of the dogs were not available for comment on this story.