LAKEPORT — A Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) Patrol Deputy investigation into an animal cruelty case involving six abandoned puppies resulted in one arrest Thursday.
The deputy followed up on several leads following the June 28 incident in an attempt to identify the person responsible for discarding the puppies with the garbage, according to LCSO Sgt. Steve Brooks.
Several people indicated that Joseph Christian Rapp, 29, of Nice was allegedly responsible for the crime, according to Brooks.
Brooks said the deputy contacted Rapp at his residence Thursday at around 7 a.m. During the interview, Rapp allegedly admitted to dumping the puppies because they were sick, according to Brooks.
Rapp said he allegedly planned to shoot the puppies, but was unable to find anyone who would loan him a firearm, according to Brooks.
Rapp was arrested on felony charges of cruelty to animals and for abandoning the puppies. He was transported and booked into the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility.
On June 28, the deputy was dispatched to the area of 4500 Hill Road in Lakeport for a report of six abandoned puppies. An employee of Lake County Waste Solutions noticed the puppies inside a dog crate that was sitting next to some residential garbage containers, Brooks said.
When the deputy arrived, he located six German Shorthair puppies that appeared to be cold and emaciated, according to Brooks. The deputy observed that the puppies were covered in feces, vomit and urine, as was the inside of the dog crate. Brooks said the deputy also noticed that one of the puppies appeared to be extremely sick and was unable to move.
Brooks said the deputy transported the puppies to Lake County Animal Care and Control, where they received medical treatment.
The deputy was advised later in the day that all of the puppies tested positive for parvovirus and that one of the puppies died, according to Brooks. The deputy was also informed that the puppies were sick for an extended period of time and should have been taken to a veterinarian to prevent them from suffering, Brooks said.
