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The investigation began after police wrangled several goats that escaped from their enclosure and were wondering on Route 1 near Hydrant Regency on Monday, Aug. 29, the outlet reports.
When police returned the goats, they found some 30 dogs in conditions that posed probable evidence of animal cruelty.
Hydrant was apparently without electricity and the center was being cooled by fans, the outlet reports. About half of the dogs were then sent home and the other half were taken to rescue shelters until their owners could pick them up.
“Their health and wellbeing is paramount,” Rowley Police Chief Scott Dumas said in an interview with Newburyport News.
Dumas also told the outlet all dogs appeared to be “reasonably healthy and safe." Both the MSPCA and the Animal Rescue League of Boston assisted with relocating the dogs as well.
While Hydrant has not publicly addressed the investigation, they did say the center would be closed for "kennel improvements" in a Facebook post published a day after the incident.
"We have an electrical issue that needs immediate attention. Once this has been addressed, we will be back open for business," Hydrant said. "We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time."
However, one Facebook user was quick to call out the center for alleged issues not highlighted in their post.
"They don’t have a permit for the storage container, and it’s considered animal cruelty because there was no AC or electricity," they commented on Hydrant's post. "The temperate was reading 90 degrees. They are being investigated."
Despite these allegations, reviews of the daycare center has generally been positive on both Google and Facebook. The investigation is ongoing.
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