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Woman Describes Heartbreak Of Losing Sick Puppy Adopted From Wolcott Animal Rescue

Wolcott Police now believe three puppies have died from canine parvovirus and others are fighting for their lives as the department continues to investigate “Tails of Courage” animal rescue.

Police say Jillian Wanner was the first of the many local families who continue to report “Tails of Courage.”

Wanner says Louie was an active little puppy when she met him twice - once on the last day of June and the first of July at the rescue facility.

“You can see that he’s not skinny, he’s not emaciated, he has a little pudge on him,” she said while showing pictures of him from a visit.

But Wanner says he was near death when she picked him up July 9.

“The day I picked him up he was really skinny, lethargic. I was kind of worried. They didn’t really say too much. They brushed it off as nerves and everything else.”

Wanner says she rushed Louis to the emergency vet just hours later.

“Within minutes they told me he was dying and our best option was to end his suffering.”

Right now, the Wolcott Police Department is actively investigating the animal rescue after hearing from Wanner and others about sick puppies they recently adopted from the rescue.

Police say they found three sick dogs that were not properly quarantined when they went to the property.

We’re told a necropsy for Louie preliminarily points to emaciation, dehydration, and parvo, an extremely contagious but treatable virus, as the cause of his death.

“It’s been so hard just walking around my house and seeing the couple places where he was able to sit. It’s heartbreaking every day,” she said.

Wanner says “Tails of Courage” refunded her adoption fee and paid for emergency vet costs, but weren’t pleased to hear she was in contact with police.

“I can’t fathom that people who claim to rescue dogs would do the complete opposite and put them in a situation where it’s dirty and diseases can be easily communicable and it’s horrible.”

NBC Connecticut has reached out to “Tails of Courage” for a comment several times. Tuesday, a secretary relayed that the manger had no statement for us about the investigation.

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