UPDATE: Vet Says Puppies Rescued From House Fire in Good Health

Nearly a week after rescuers pulled 22 dogs out of a West Hempstead home that had caught on fire, most of the animals are doing well thanks to a local vet hospital, first responders and concerned neighbors.

"One puppy came in really bad shape," Dr. Angela DeVito of the West Hempstead Animal Hospital told Patch earlier today. They treated the 13 puppies that were rescued from the home. While they were unable to revive this one pooch, she said, the other pups are doing well.

"They were a little dicey for a few days, but they pulled through," DeVito said. "All kinds of credit goes to my staff for all the wonderful care they gave them. They really made the difference in pulling them through."

DeVito said that while she could confirm that the owner did take possession of all of the animals, she did not know where he was housing them at the present time.

A neighbor of the owner who was present at the scene said the man "lives for his dogs," but he apparently did not have the proper paperwork in order to keep so many in his home.

Susan Trenkle-Pokalsky, the press secretary for the Town of Hempstead, said the owner received a number of appearance tickets from the town for violations. 

"He’s a breeder," she said, but explained that it is illegal for a resident to house more than three dogs in his home without having a special permit, which he did not. According to Trenkle-Pokalsky, the man would have to go through the Board of Zoning Appeals to attain this license. Currently, his residence has been boarded up, since the fire caused substantial damage to the home, forcing them to turn off the heat and power.

It was another neighbor who lived around the corner that was walking his dog on the morning of Jan. 11, who first noticed the smoke coming from the house and banged on the doors and windows to wake up the occupants inside. The responded to the scene swiftly and put out the fire within 20 minutes.

The firefighters carried the animals out of the home and administered oxygen to the pooches. One concerned neighbor even lent her garage to her neighbor to keep some of the dogs out of the cold.

"It was a happy ending," DeVito said.