SOUTH BEND — No criminal charges will be filed against a resident who was housing more than 20 dogs inside his garage.

A deputy prosecutor who reviewed the case did not find the incident met the statutory requirements for criminal charges, a spokeswoman from the St. Joseph County prosecutor’s office said Friday.

Poodles, Maltese, bulldogs and other purebred dogs were found inside a California Avenue home Tuesday after a resident complained of an odor coming from the property.

Some of the 23 dogs discovered in cages were found with matted hair, skin conditions, and some appearing to have "cherry eye," a genetic eye disorder, according to Animal Control officers.

The owner of the dogs, who was contacted Friday, said he understands he was keeping too many dogs but says he did not know the city ordinance before.

He now says he does not plan to fight for all the animals, but wants some of them back, based on the fair amount. He maintains his dogs were being fed and were well-cared for.

It is The Tribune’s policy to generally not name suspects who have not been charged, except for certain crimes.

Despite no criminal charges, the owner still faces fines related to city ordinance violations.

Animal Control manager Gary Libbey also said today that Animal Control officers are still investigating whether the man was operating a bigger breeding operation.

The owner insists he has only bred animals a few times and that he was not maintaining a regular breeding operation.

But Michiana resident Tracey Stafford told The Tribune she was at the California Avenue home last winter to look at bulldog puppies after she saw an ad in the newspaper. The woman was shocked when she heard news reports showing the man’s home that, she said, she and her son had recently visited.

“I called my son and said, ‘Look on the news!’ ” she said.

The family never heard or saw anything coming from the garage during their visit, Stafford said. They went only inside the home, where, Stafford said, the owner showed them a litter of eight puppies, along with the mother and father bulldogs.

All the animals seemed to be in good shape, she said, and they reportedly had all their shots.

Stafford said she decided not to buy a puppy for the $1,000 asking price.

A search of the Internet also displayed an ad for English bulldogs on BreedersClub.net, with a contact name and a phone number matching the California Avenue owner.

The puppies on the site, which was last updated last month, are listed as 10-week-old AKC champion bloodline bulldogs with a father in a “5th generation pedigree.” The asking price for the puppies on the site is $1,800.

A call to the AKC found that two bulldogs have been registered with the organization from the California Avenue address and in the owner’s name, but the registration is not current, according to Daisy Oakas, AKC assistant vice president for communications.

“No litters have been registered therefore no AKC registerable puppies would be being sold,” Oakas said in an e-mail.

It is not illegal to breed animals in the city, but regulations limit the time to adopt them out.

Residents can keep only up to three adult dogs, according to Libbey, unless they are breeding puppies, upon which there is a six-month time to adopt the litters out. All 23 of the dogs found at the California Avenue home were adults.

Staff writer Alicia Gallegos: agallegos@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6368