Police, Humane Society seize 15 dogs from Detroit home

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Roughly 15 dogs were seized from at least two different Detroit homes on the city's east side, and the family is left confused about why their pets were taken away.

Nobody in the 14000 block of Edmore really knew what was going on when Detroit Police and the Humane Society showed up Friday afternoon. 

Neighbors say they didn't have any issues and the family said they were all happy dogs - so why would police kick the door in?

Video from SkyFOX showed police and the Humane Society leading the dogs away. Their tails were wagging and the dogs were seemingly happy as they were led out one by one.

"They were licking the Humane Society lady," said the owner of the dogs, Peggy Kleiner. "They kicked the door in."

Kleiner's attorney, James Galen Jr., said the raid started early Friday afternoon as officials were just grabbing the dogs that he says are pets.

"We're talking about dogs who are healthy well fed ... live in good homes sleep with the children," Galen said.

The family says they live in two sets of houses and believe a tree trimmer out the day before happened to spot multiple dogs there and called police.

The Humane Society won't comment about what tipped them off but the family says they heard that dog fighting was suspected, a claim they adamantly deny.

FOX 2 viewed pictures of the dogs, many of which are Staffordshire terrier pit bull mixes. They said they had about 15 in and outside of the home.

"These are her pets, she doesn't know how she's going to sleep without her pet," Galen said.

The Humane Society is only saying they executed two search warrants in conjunction with Detroit Police. One man was taken into custody but there's no word on potential charges.