Arizona Humane Society sued over custody of dogs from Chandler ‘house of horrors’

A coalition of animal nonprofits and pet owners sued the Arizona Humane Society on Wednesday to take back some of the dogs that were seized from a Chandler home five days earlier.

Three organizations are taking AHS to court: Arizona rescues Handover Rover and the Be Like Josh Foundation, along with Texas nonprofit Yaqui Animal Rescue. Seven additional dog owners also are part of the lawsuit, which was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court.

The animal rights activists listed in the suit said they sent dogs to the residence near Cooper and Pecos roads to be rehabilitated and adopted through the Special Needs Animal Welfare League, a nonprofit that April McLaughlin ran from her home in Chandler.

"Over the last few years, plaintiffs, as well as others, provided their dogs to McLaughlin to provide them with specialized care, based on the pets' physical disabilities," the lawsuit said.

Fifty-five dogs and an additional five deceased puppies that were found in McLaughlin’s freezer were recovered from the 1,000-square-foot house, according to court documents.

"The property was in a disgusting, foul condition," according to the lawsuit. "When walking up to the front door, it smelled like feces and dead animals. It was clear that McLaughlin's home was not fit for caring for the dogs."

McLaughlin was arrested on Sept. 22 for 110 counts of animal cruelty and abuse, along with one count of vulnerable adult abuse for allegedly mistreating her elderly mother. She was released on Sept. 27, and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office sent the case back to the Chandler Police Department for further investigation.

On social media, plaintiffs in the lawsuit called McLaughlin's residence a "house of horrors."

‘No point of contact’

The suit’s plaintiffs said that AHS has been unresponsive and uncooperative when asked about the welfare of the remaining dogs taken from McLaughlin’s home.

"AHS has no point of contact for dog owners to contact to determine the status of their pet," the lawsuit said. "There is no way for a pet owner to verify that pet is alive, whether AHS has unilaterally euthanized the pet, the current health of that pet, or its whereabouts."

If a microchip is present in the seized dogs that had to be ethically euthanized, AHS said it will contact the last known rescue group to return the ashes, according to a statement released by the organization.

Rebecca Arizmendi, a board member of Yaqui Animal Rescue, told Phoenix New Times “that the Arizona Humane Society does not have legal authority to destroy or make decisions about our property.”

Arizmendi argued that if the courts consider dogs as property, the property rights of the dog owners should also be recognized.

“They don't see them as sentient beings, right? So if that's the way you're gonna treat them, well then, give me back my property after you've done whatever you have to do with evidence, taking photos and what have you,” she said.

Arizmendi added that the group also plans to file a lawsuit against McLaughlin.

“But we also plan on suing April even though we know she does not have a penny to her name that we know of,” she said. “I plan on taking this all the way.”

Multiple calls for help ignored

Chandler police asked the public for more information about McLaughlin on Thursday.

"Police investigators are requesting that any citizen, rescue organization or veterinary professionals with knowledge of the dogs prior to being adopted out to SNAWL contact the police to provide additional assistance," a Facebook announcement said.

The message stung for Arizmendi, who along with a team of researchers, had painstakingly investigated McLaughlin's alleged multiple identities and suspected crimes for months. They started looking into McLaughlin over the summer after sending a disabled dog named Butters to SNAWL and noticed strange follow-up behavior.

"Everything that you can possibly think of with that woman, the documents, the pictures of the dogs, where the dogs came from, the owners, police reports, we have body cams. I mean, we have done everything. If the police wanted to know what to do for their investigation, all they have to do is pick up their phone and give us a call,” Arizmendi said.

The ignored calls for help, coupled with AHS’ lack of communication, has made advocating on behalf of the dogs even harder, Arizmendi said.

According to Arizmendi, local animal rights activists have compiled a list of all the dogs sent to McLaughlin over the years. While Chandler police have accounted for 55 dogs, Arizmendi told New Times that there are additional dogs missing.

"There's a good 15 dogs that are missing," Arizmendi said. "We don't know where they are. We don't know if she's hidden them, if she's killed them, dumped them somewhere, is hiding them, we don't know."

A complicated legal case

Because dogs are considered property by law, it causes a major wrinkle in humanitarian rescue efforts.

When rescuers gave their dogs to McLaughlin, they effectively transferred their property to her. This action legally enabled Chandler police to hand the dogs over to AHS instead of returning them to rescuers who first surrendered the dogs.

At least, that's the argument Arizmendi anticipates people might make against the coalition's lawsuit.

"What I've been trying to convey to the Arizona Humane Society and the Chandler Police Department is that any agreement we made with [McLaughlin] is null and void because she had promised a certain list of things," she said.

Arizmendi added that had she known the horrific conditions at McLaughlin’s home, she never would have sent dogs there.

"But had I known the truth — that she didn't have any fosters, that she had a total of 50 dogs living with her — I would have never agreed to send Butters over there," she said.

In addition to filing the civil injunction to get the dogs back, the animal rights coalition is planning another legal battle.

"Our criminal attorney is also pressing the Maricopa County attorney to also file fraud charges," she said. "It's a really complicated story."

Neither McLaughlin nor the Arizona Humane Society responded to requests for comments.