16 Dogs Removed From Warr Acres Home

Sixteen dogs are moving to animal shelters and foster homes after they were seized from a Warr Acres home. The previous owner told News 9 he denies police reports that say his home was in disarray when officers searched the property. 

“Very happy and healthy. There was nothing wrong with these animals at all,” said Sean Jones, the previous owner. 

The police report said the Warr Acres Animal Control Officer, Carlos Sotelo, requested a search warrant in late February after a neighbor of Jones said there was a dead dog in his backyard. Officers searched the home and Jones later surrendered the 16 dogs. 

Sotelo said the dogs “were healthy looking. They were feral. Savage, not social. But we’ve been working with them to make them more social.” 

The dogs had access to Jones’ backyard and garage, where there was water available. Sotelo said much of the garage was covered with a layer of animal excrement and had a terrible smell. 

Warr Acres Police Chief R. L. Patty said the department presented charges of animal cruelty to the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office against Jones. The office denied the charge because of a lack of evidence, he said. 

Veterinarians at Oklahoma State University were not able to determine a cause of death, Patty said, and the available shelter, food, and water were signs the animals were not neglected. 

Police ultimately fined Jones $90 for violating a city ordinance that limits households to four dogs or cats. 

“I’m taking care of these animals and you’re going to say that I’m being cruel to them?” said Sean Jones, the previous owner. 

Jones said he did not know what caused the one dog to die, but said it was likely due to poison by a neighbor. When requested, Jones was not able to provide any evidence of poisoning. 

Warr Acres police took pictures of the home and its backyard during the search. The backyard was free of grass and littered with trash, plastic tubing and miscellaneous items. One picture shows the deceased dog laying next to two plastic bottles and a shoe. 

Jones told News 9 he accumulated 16 dogs through unintended pregnancies and difficulty finding shelters. 

“It’s been difficult to find homes for them. You know, I’ve done the best I can. A lot of shelters, they just didn’t want ‘em,” he said. 

In the same response, Jones said 16 dogs is not many for one person to own. 

“You got 10 puppies and 6 dogs, I mean that’s not really, people have vastly more than that,” he said. 

Jones said he fed the animals daily.

“These dogs are very well cared for,” he said. “These are very happy healthy animals.” 

Jones denied the presence of excrement throughout the garage.

“They had blankets to lay on,” he said. “I had made areas for them to lay out in. No, there’s no layer of excrement in there whatsoever.” 

Jones denied News 9’s request to see the garage and backyard. 

Jones said he currently has three dogs and hopes to find homes for two of them. News 9 asked why he does not ask the city shelter to take them in.

“Good question. I don’t know. Haven’t gotten that far yet,” Jones replied.

Erin Mangrum and other volunteers with Country Roads Animal Rescue picked up a family of puppies and their mother from the Warr Acres Animal Shelter near Northwest 50th Street on Tuesday. 

Mangrum said they have been working to find foster homes and temporary housing for all 16 of the dogs seized from Jones’ residence. 

“All of these that were pulling today have fosters already set up. So, it’s very exciting,” she said. 

Mangrum described Jones’ home as a “dog hoarding situation,” and said, “Unfortunately, it’s not a unique situation here in Oklahoma. Especially with no spay or neuter laws, it’s a habitual problem.”