Turpin family latest: Two healthy Maltese dogs seized from couple whose 13 malnourished children were found 'imprisoned'

One-year-old animals are leash-trained and will be re-homed together in February

Authorities seized two healthy dogs from the Turpin family after 13 siblings were found malnourished and allegedly tortured.

The two Maltese-mix dogs “appear healthy”, Perris, California animal control officer Christina Avila said, and will be raffled for adoption.

The one-year-old pair are leash-trained and will be re-homed together in February.

David and Louise Turpin have denied a string of charges relating to their alleged treatment of the children, who are aged between 2 and 29.

Prosecutors said the abuse dated back years to when the couple lived in Texas, and appeared to have intensified over time.

They used to tie up their children with ropes and at least one of the children had been hogtied, but after that child escaped from the ropes the parents began to use chains and padlocks, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said.

Some of the children would be chained for weeks or months at a time and would not be freed to use the bathroom, he said. Their punishments included frequent beatings and strangulation, the district attorney added.

The children were only allowed to shower once a year, Hestrin said. When washing their hands, if they washed above their wrists, they would be accused of playing in the water and would be chained up, he said.

When not chained up, the siblings were locked in different rooms in the house and “fed very little on a schedule,” Mr Hestrin said.

The Turpins, aged 57 and 49, appeared in court yesterday. They were both charged with 12 counts of torture, seven counts of abuse of a dependent adult, six of child abuse or neglect and 12 of false imprisonment. Mr Turpin faces an additional charge of performing a lewd act on a child.

Police have recovered “hundreds” of journals kept by the siblings, Mr Hestrin said – allegedly one of the few activities they were allowed to pursue.

Additional reporting by agencies