After watching the operation of a Cocke County puppy mill, the sheriff's department and animal control officers stopped the operators and seized all the animals earlier this year.

Friends of the Animal Shelter leader Robert Brannon said he was pleased with the outcome and praised Sheriff Armando Fontes and his deputies for working with him and the shelter employees and volunteers.

The 38 dogs and puppies seized were all small breed animals, such as yorkie and dachsund, and all were placed in new homes utilizing the shelter's Rolling Rescue program and vehicle.

"The dog I adopted had severe and horrible health problems, and I have taken the dog home with me," he said. Brannon named the dog "Toby" and said it had the most severe problems but some of the other animals also had been allegedly neglected.

For more details, please see the Thursday edition of the Newport Plain Talk.