ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla — St. Johns County Animal Control took in 20 dogs from one owner in two days this week.
K9s for Warriors stepped in and rescued some of them to train as service dogs.
Thursday, some of dogs were running around a fenced-in area at the K9s for Warriors kennel in Ponte Vedra. They were full of energy.
However, happy excitement is probably new for them.
"They’re starving for attention," Daniel Clavel said. He is the Director for Procurement at K9s for Warriors as well as a U.S. Navy veteran.
Twenty Labrador Retrievers landed at the St. Johns County Animal Control building this week. The department's director said the owner surrendered 13 on one day, and another seven were picked up along the road the day before. They are believed to belong to the same owner.
"They were kept outside. They were underfed. They weren’t being given the care they need," Clavel said.
According to Animal Control, there is no criminal issue in this case.
Clavel got the call Wednesday from St. Johns Animal Control staff.
"We were the first folks they contacted," he recalled, "and they said, 'We have 20 labs!'"
"Initially when we were walking through the kennel at Animal Control, they were all very shy and timid, some actually retreated to the back of the kennel," Clavel said.
Dani Bozzini with K9s for Warriors pointed to video she shot inside Animal Control as K9s for Warriors when employees tried to befriend the dogs. She said, "Slowly but surely you see them come out, but they were still terrified. The tails were between the legs. That's a big indication they’re scared. Maybe they were dealing some anxiety."
K9’s for Warriors rescues dogs. Thursday, they rescued six of those twenty labs, believing they could be trained to be service dogs for military veterans.
Clavel said, "When we’re looking at these candidates, we’re looking at the ability to be successful in training. We’re not looking for a trained dog."
The ideal age for the dog rescues falls between 11 months and 4-years-old.
"They can definitely stand to gain some weight," Clavel said.
He added that currently there is a 20 – 30 percent success rate for shelter dogs.
Those six dogs are getting a second chance, and so are the veterans who will get paired with these battle canines.
"We’re saving the lives of our warriors. We’re saving the lives of these dogs," Clavel said.
The St. Johns County Animal Control director said some of the twenty Labrador Retrievers are puppies. He said other animal rescues are considering taking more of this batch of dogs. He called those dogs "highly adoptable."