HICKORY, N.C. -- A man is facing dozens of charges after more than 30 dogs were seized from a Hickory kennel by police.
At least three of those dogs were dead.
Officials say Daniel Pride, 37, is charged with 33 counts of felony animal cruelty.
We've learned it was a kennel and the owner was a breeder of American Bullies.
Wednesday, police responded to a suspicious car parked outside of a building off Highway 70.
When they arrived they ran into the owner of Kash Line Kennels, which was keeping over 30 American Buillies inside.
Hickory police say the dogs looked malnourished and were seized.
“None of them were neglected, they've been fed,” said Alexandra Shuford, the girlfriend of the suspect.
Shuford came to her boyfriend's defense, leading us to the kennel's Facebook page, where she says you can see pictures and videos of the dogs.
“You know he's starting up a new line, he was trying to get his business together, and they are trying to get him for animal cruelty, and we had some that were nursing, and they were trying to say they were starved, no they were not,” said Shuford.
After receiving the search warrant, officers went inside and took three dogs out, one of them a puppy who looked deceased.
“When he fed them yesterday he thinks that one of them might have gotten lose and gotten close to one of the puppies, and the other dog reacted,” said Shuford.
Shuford says they had 20 puppies and 12 adults. The puppies sell from $300 to $2,500.
“He's been doing this for years, this is something he loves, this is his passion,” he said.
The dogs were taken by animal control as evidence. Police say some of them had bite marks, but Shuford disagrees.
Officers have not decided if the dogs will be put up for adoption. Shuford says they've already sold them to new owners.