The Los Angeles Dept. of Animal Services is investigating Paris Hilton after the heiress appeared on Ellen DeGeneres’s talk show last week and confessed to owning 17 dogs, which is illegal in Los Angeles unless you have a special license.
An official visited Hilton’s house but found it vacant and under renovation. All the dogs, several cats, birds, ferrets, and even a monkey had apparently been placed with “handlers at a ranch” – possibly permanently, says SPCA spokesman Jeff Blodgett.
Hilton also made headlines last week when the Kris Kelly Foundation announced that they will be keeping a cat they let Hilton adopt last year because Hilton never returned to pick up the animal after it underwent spay surgery.
Last year, Hilton’s Beverly Hills neighbor, Shelby Segall, told reporters that Hilton mistreats her animals. “I found two little Chihuahuas of hers running up and down the street with cars and people going up and down. I put them in my bathroom and called Paris. She took three hours to come get them.”