A Pa. service dog rescue had its license pulled due to animal neglect. Seven dogs still need new homes.

Seven hero dogs are looking for homes.

That’s how many German shepherds and Belgian Malinois remain of the 28 military and law enforcement service dogs the Pennsylvania SPCA removed over the past year due to wretched conditions at K9 Hero Haven, a Northumberland County rescue organization.

The PSPCA has found adopters for 12 of the dogs that were removed from Hero Haven. Some now have homes with their previous handlers, and some have gone as far as Alaska, Arkansas, and Ohio. The other nine dogs that were removed from Hero Haven were euthanized, two for medical reasons and the others because they were deemed behaviorally unsafe.

K9 Hero Haven was supposed to take care of the dogs until permanent homes could be found. The dogs had been retired after serving in dangerous, people-protecting jobs like bomb detection in war zones and at U.S. embassies, as well as working with municipal police departments.

But instead of getting hero treatment, the dogs were found in kennels by animal law inspectors with feces and urine caked in their fur, according to the PSPCA. Some had untreated wounds and appeared malnourished. Their water bowls were green from lack of cleaning. Most of the 28 service dogs were taken from the facility in June and August 2023.

Anne M. Gibbs, 60, the operator of the Herndon facility, pleaded guilty to animal neglect in January, but additional charges were added and are still pending, according to a PSPCA spokesperson. Gibbs’ kennel license was revoked, meaning she cannot keep more than 25 dogs a year, the spokesperson added. The remainder of the 28 dogs were taken from her facility early this year.

Gibbs could not be reached for comment. According to her organization’s website, it has helped 400 dogs find homes since its start in 2015 and reunited 20 service dogs with their handlers. Gibbs, in a note on the site, talks about Sheera, a U.S. Customs and border protection dog she adopted.

Those interested in adopting the remaining dogs should understand that they are special animals with special needs, according to Nicole Wilson, the PSPCA’s director of animal law enforcement.

“We’re asking that people have specific working dog experience and knowledge,” Wilson said. “Given the variety of their backgrounds and the level of intelligence they come with, we need to do our best to find experienced individuals who understand how to work them in their retirement and keep them active and engaged.”

They are dogs like Csonti, an 8-year-old Malinois who was trained to detect explosives and served at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, and Sosa, a 4-year-old German shepherd who also worked in diplomatic security.

The 28 animals were removed from K9 Hero Haven between June 2023 and February 2024, and sent to the PSPCA’s Philadelphia facility. Unlike other dogs, these canines were not able to be placed in foster care. The PSPCA didn’t have fosters with the necessary expertise for these service dogs, Wilson said.

However, the agency’s animal behavior staff has been working with the dogs to give them the physical and mental stimulation that animals like them require, she said. Some were exhibiting “spinning” behavior after being cooped up in kennel cages at Hero Haven.

“For us, it’s not just about healing their body. It’s healing their mind as well,” Wilson said.

What happened with these dogs speaks to a larger problem regarding service animals like them, she added.

“Realistically speaking, there aren’t enough places for them to go,” Wilson said. “When we put these dogs into service, we think about the importance of their work, but we don’t necessarily think all the way through to when their work is over. What then? What’s their retirement plan?

“As somebody who’s dedicated her life to animal welfare, I worry about that,” said Wilson. “I just hope the departments are thinking about who’s going to help their dogs.”