Firefighters responding to a fire at the Villa Marina found 27 dogs and two cats in the apartment, in unsanitary conditions. An investigation is under way and could lead to charges against the resident, who was not home at the time. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

The Hawaiian Humane Society opened an animal cruelty investigation yesterday after confiscating the animals. Firefighters responding to a small kitchen fire in the condominium had found the animals and called the society.

The three-bedroom unit on Kawaihae Place reeked yesterday of animal waste. It was also cluttered with litter.

An investigator handling the case called it an "unbelievable" situation.

The resident of the condo told The Advertiser yesterday that accusations that she was operating a puppy mill are "absolutely ridiculous." The woman, who did not want her name used because she fears retribution, said she was boarding the dogs and had them for about two weeks.

But Maui resident Kelly Sampels said today that she worked with the woman last December to breed her toy poodle at the Hawai'i Kai home. Sampels said the woman had tried to sell the puppies for the last three weeks.

Sampels saw her portable kennels on TV and a photograph of one of her puppies in The Advertiser. Sampels said she never visited the home but instead met the woman at the airport.

"Stupid me, eh?" she said. "I'm freaking out but I'm also, shame, shame, shame on me for not checking out the environment."

Robin Black used to rent the unit next to the condo. He said today that he reported the situation to the humane society and to state vector control officials, who cited his neighbor on Dec. 5, 2001.

"The first night I was there, we had to close all the windows the smell was so bad," Black said today.

The resident cleaned up the home after being cited but it was not long before the problem returned, he said.

After a year of the smell, Black said, he "threw in the towel" and moved to Kailua.

The humane society was continuing to care for the animals today. Two of the dogs had to be sent to a private veterinarian for further examination, however.

Bryan Windisch, manager of field services for the humane society, called the home "the worst situation that I have seen for a home and the amount of animals that are kept indoors."

The alleged puppy mill operator yesterday insisted to The Advertiser that she agreed to take the animals in on an emergency basis for a friend who operates a kennel. All of the dogs, except for her own, were expected to be gone within a week, she said last night.

"I had my own dogs plus a relative's dog and other people's dogs that were being boarded as a temporary boarding situation to another kennel that was in some problems because of health problems of the proprietor," she said.

When firefighters arrived at the Villa Marina complex shortly after 11 a.m. yesterday, they found the puppies, among them a poodle, miniature pinscher, Pomeranian, chihuahua and several terrier mixes.

The woman was not home at the time of the fire.

"Puppy mill" is a term that describes the breeding of dogs without a permit and under poor living conditions. Such situations sometimes involve sick puppies not treated by vets, Windisch said.

"When you find so many different breeds, and them being so young, it looks to me as though this could be a mill situation," he said.

The woman said the dogs were well-fed, in good health and were well cared for. She said she agreed to take care of several puppies because most kennels do not accept puppies that young.

She said things got out of control when she had to rush to a Neighbor Island to care for a relative who was having surgery. She said her roommate agreed to care for the animals while she was gone for about a week, but that he apparently neglected his duties.

"My roommate, who had said he would take care of dogs, doesn't do it as thorough as me. ... (He) put clean papers on top of the dirty papers. That's the only situation where there could have been any dirt," she said. "The cleaning might not have been perfect while I was away, but I can't blame anybody for that. There was an emergency and that's what happened."

She said many of the dogs' owners have been inquiring about the health of their pets. She said she was angry with humane society officials because they refused to tell her how the dogs were doing last night.

"If they were hurt at all it was because of the fire," she said. She said she will attempt to retrieve the dogs today.

City property tax records show the townhouse is owned by a Scott Kagan, who lists a Boca Raton, Fla., address.

Windisch said that the case may be linked to an investigation the humane society has been working on for the past several months, but he would not disclose details.

Some neighbors said they were surprised by the discovery.

"I didn't hear them barking, never heard them crying and never really smelled anything," said nearby resident Ruth Zeitlin. "Of course they're right next to (a trash bin)."

Villa Marina resident Anna Womack said she didn't know about the situation. "I don't have any pets and I'm not a rights activist, but I feel bad for the dogs," she said.

The fire caused about $300 in minor smoke damage, Capt. Kenison Tejada said.

As firefighters searched the home, "they kept finding animals," Tejada said. The department notified the Hawaiian Humane Society, which arrived at about 12:30 p.m.

"None of ... (the dogs) appear to be in any type of danger at this point and time," said Carlene Takushi, a veterinarian for the society who gave the animals an initial examination at the condominium. Takushi said the dogs were taken to the humane society to be examined further.

Windisch said puppy mill cases usually involve violations of animal cruelty. Animal cruelty is a misdemeanor crime with possible penalties of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine, Windisch said.

Humane Society officials were waiting for a search warrant last night to take photographs of the property and gather evidence to put together a possible animal cruelty case, Windisch said.