WEST OLIVE, Mich. — Another one of the 78 dogs seized from “deplorable” living conditions in Norton Shores passed away Thursday evening.
The dogs were taken from Cober’s Canine Rescue late last month. A suspect has since been arrested and charged.
Harbor Humane took in 20 of the dogs. Executive Director Jen Self-Aulgur referred to the 600-square-foot building the dogs were found in as “hell on earth.”
READ MORE: Norton Shores police seize 78 dogs found living in poor conditions
The shelter says Stitch is the third dog in their care that has died.
Stitch was battling pneumonia and distemper, among other health problems, the shelter wrote.
Harbor Humane updated its Facebook page Thursday evening to say that Stitch tested positive for distemper, continued to decline and started seizing.
The shelter talked with vets at Animal Emergency and Specialty Hospital of Byron Center and decided the kindest thing to do for Stitch would be to let him go.
Stitch spent all of Wednesday night in an oxygen chamber and his health continued to deteriorate into Thursday.
"We don't want him to become another statistic of another puppy who died because of poor care," Harbor Humane Executive Director Jen Self-Aulgur told FOX 17 Thursday afternoon.
Harbor Humane asked for “prayers, good vibes, whatever you can” while Stitch received care from staff at Animal Emergency and Specialty Hospital of Byron Center.
Stitch was reportedly placed on a feeding tube as medical bills approached $3,000.
"They have put him on a feeding tube and we're hoping that maybe if he can get some nutrients in him and get some strength, that that might give him a little bit more fight," Self-Aulgur added Thursday before Stitch passed away.
Meanwhile, the shelter says the other dogs in their care “are seemingly healthy.”
Muskegon Humane Society says it also lost two dogs to distemper after they were taken from Cober's Canine.
Additionally, the shelter is asking for donations as it works to take care of the surviving dogs.
