PAHRUMP, Nev. (KLAS) — Some of the 300 dogs seized as part of an animal abuse investigation were euthanized on site due to their condition — others were found dead — as detectives lay out how they found some of the animals starving, documents obtained by the 8 News Now I-Team on Wednesday said.
Detectives located 257 dogs on the Amargosa Valley property, court documents said. In addition, sheriff’s deputies found dozens of frozen puppies at the unlicensed facility. Officers found an additional 25 animals on a Pahrump property.
Oskana Higgins and Vasili Platunov face felony animal abuse and neglect charges.
“During the examination of the property, it was determined that many of the dogs were in poor health, had injuries, or were in various stages of starvation,” a Nye County Sheriff’s Office deputy wrote in court documents. “It was estimated that more than half the dogs were malnourished, and several had severe visible injuries including open sores and injured limbs.”
The report notes the dogs’ owner, Platunov, lives in Pahrump, but maintained “a breeding operation” at the Amargosa Valley address. Higgins is identified in the documents as the caretaker at the property.
The majority of the dogs are Caucasian Shepherds, a large breed sold for security and protection. Investigators said they came out to the property for a report of an injured animal.
“Platunov was supposed to be working with Nye County Animal Control to move the dogs from the Pahrump property to the Amargosa property, and he has been doing so at an intermittent rate,” the report said.
Higgins told investigators “she not Platunov has enough money to care for the dogs” and that the pair “frequently relied on food donations to get by.” She also told investigators she would give away puppies for free in hopes of getting donations to buy the animals food.
In addition to a charge related to the original call for the injured dog, Platunov and Higgins each face 32 animal abuse-related charges.
As 8 News Now reported last week, each dog was given a unique ID number and examined. Some dogs found alive were as young as days old, investigators said last week.
Detectives reported the following information about each injured dog:
- 6-to-7 week-old puppy found deceased
- Dog covered in feces, had four puppies, suffering from starvation
- Dog has nine puppies, suffering from starvation
- Dog has infection, suffering from starvation
- Leg injury
- Leg injury, suffering from starvation
- Leg injury, suffering from starvation
- Leg injury, suffering from starvation
- Open wound while nursing five puppies, suffering from starvation
- Open wound, maggots in open sore, suffering from starvation (dog was euthanized due to injuries)
- Several open cuts
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
- Suffering from starvation
A judge granted the sheriff’s office control of the dogs Monday, allowing them to be moved to the county shelter. The dogs could be up for adoption within a month, Capt. David Boruchowitz said.
“He is forced into moving these dogs from one property he owned to the other and that completely broke him down,” Platunov’s attorney, Thomas Gibson, said Monday.
The sheriff’s office has moved the dogs to the county shelter. The office has set up a GoFundMe page for donations to help in the animals’ care. The fundraiser has a $75,000 goal.
