Rare "singing dogs" found in illegal Pennsylvania kennel

Talk about a strange headline. Personally, I didn't know there was such a thing as "singing dogs" (autotuned huskies aside). Learning new things is fun, though! Apparently,

A Fannett Township [PA] man was recently found with about 80 of one of the world's rarest wild dogs, and experts from around the country are now looking to find them suitable homes.

The man has been cited for operating an unlicensed kennel and several other related violations. In a statement issued Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture characterized him as an animal hoarder.

Prior to the discovery of Hammond's dogs, there were about 150 members of the breed known to exist in captivity worldwide, many of them in zoos, according to Tom Wendt of New Guinea Singing Dog International.

Named for their unique howling vocalizations, "singers" are primitive dogs from the upper highlands of New Guinea, Wendt said. There have been few actual sightings of the animal in its habitat in recent years, and some believe it to be extinct in the wild.

Read the whole story, which is much longer, here.