BELLINGHAM, Wash. The owner of a Whatcom County animal rescue organization was arrested Friday, Oct. 23, after allegations that she abused dozens of dogs in her care, Cascadia Daily News reported.
Whatcom County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested Ashley Georgia, 38, of Bellingham. She is the founder and owner of the Pittie Project PNW, a bully breed rescue and rehabilitation organization that offered adoptions, fostering and training programs.
Deputies removed 30 dogs from her property in the 200 block of Russet Avenue on Oct. 5 after receiving an animal cruelty report, and several of the dogs had injuries and were malnourished, per the report.
Whatcom County prosecutors charged Georgia with 30 counts of animal cruelty, a class C felony, on Oct. 7, and a Whatcom County Superior Court judge issued a warrant for her arrest the same day. The organization's Facebook and Instagram pages were disabled as of Oct. 7.
According to a probable cause statement, a witness said two dogs received from Georgia were in poor health with several injuries, and other witnesses believed about 17 dogs on the property needed immediate medical attention. Deputies found animals living in poor conditions with no access to food or water, and at least one dog died, according to the property owner.
Volunteers removed another 13 animals from the site after learning of the conditions and said the area was even worse than reported. The dogs showed signs of injuries, worms, open wounds and extensive weight loss, and did not appear to have been regularly attended to, according to the statement, which said the facility was anything but a rescue.
As part of the Pittie Project PNW, Georgia collected thousands of dollars in cash donations as well as donated food to care for the animals, the report said. The seized dogs were transferred to the Whatcom Humane Society, where they have responded well to veterinary treatment and are expected to fully recover before being placed in adoptive homes.
Georgia is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, Oct. 26, per Cascadia Daily News.