New Bedford Police Rescue Dogs and Seize Firearms

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — New Bedford Police arrested one person while another will also face charges as eight dogs and multiple firearms were removed from a Near North End apartment after they were found living in unsanitary conditions.

What Prompted the New Bedford Police Welfare Check

According to police, officers responded just before 4:15 p.m. on April 15 to an apartment building on Davis Street for a welfare check. The request came because of a strong odor coming from an apartment where animals were believed to be living.

Inside the Unsanitary Apartment Conditions

Police said officers knocked multiple times with no answer, but could hear barking dogs inside. The officers then forced their way into the apartment out of concern for the conditions inside. Once inside, officers reported “extremely unsanitary conditions, including animal feces, urine, and garbage covering the floors, along with a strong ammonia odor.”

Three adult dogs and five puppies were found confined to cages and a pen.

Get our free mobile app

Weapons Discovered Inside the Apartment

Police also found a vertical firearm safe, multiple rifle cases containing an AR-15 style rifle, a Remington Model 783 rifle, 60-round magazines, a Ruger semi-automatic rifle, a backpack containing a disassembled over/under 20-gauge shotgun, a 25-round magazine for the Ruger rifle, and two unsecured firearms.

Charges Filed Against Residents

Mello was arrested and charged with eight counts of animal cruelty, two counts of improper storage of a firearm, three counts of possession of a large capacity feeding device, and three counts of possession of a large capacity firearm.

Blessing will be summoned to court for eight counts of animal cruelty and one count of improper storage of a firearm.

Where the Rescued Dogs Are Now

Animal Control removed the dogs and took them to Forever Paws Animal Shelter in Fall River, where they were evaluated and are now up for adoption.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

Gallery Credit: Elena Kadvany

Why do cats have whiskers? Why do they meow? Why do they nap so much? And answers to 47 other kitty questions:

Why do they meow? Why do they nap so much? Why do they have whiskers? Cats, and their undeniably adorable babies known as kittens, are mysterious creatures. Their larger relatives, after all, are some of the most mystical and lethal animals on the planet. Many questions related to domestic felines, however, have perfectly logical answers. Here’s a look at some of the most common questions related to kittens and cats, and the answers cat lovers are looking for.

Gallery Credit: Andrew Lisa

LOOK: Here Are 30 Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.

Gallery Credit: Rachel Cavanaugh