Dogs hoarded by rent-skipper need homes

PALM DESERT, Calif., July 10 (UPI) -- A California woman faces grand larceny charges for allegedly moving from house to house with 26 dogs and skipping out on rent, officials said.

The dogs -- all cocker spaniels -- are being held by the Riverside County Department of Animal Services while homes are being sought, Betsy Ritchie, captain of field operations for the animal services department, told the Los Angeles Times.

Nelli Olsen, 35, moved the dogs from house to house, writing bad checks and being evicted for not paying rent, the newspaper reported Friday. She lived in eight residences in Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage during a two-year span, Ritchie said.

James Huffman, an animal control officer, caught Olsen when he investigated complaints about a pack of dogs in various homes. He said he realized all the complaints were about the same cockers.

Ritchie said the dogs are between 1 and 9 years old. One is cocoa-colored, the others are black.

Ritchie recommends a family without children or with older children take them since cockers are not usually good with small children.