Hoarding - 56 dogs seized
White Settlement, TX (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Apr 19, 2005
County: Tarrant
Disposition: Not Charged
Abuser names unreleased
Fifty-six dogs living in "deplorable conditions and odor" in a two-bedroom residence were seized on April 19, 2005, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society of North Texas said.
Investigators received an anonymous tip that the residence was covered in feces and urine. They inspected the home and decided the dogs -- all a mix of rat terrier and Chihuahua -- had to be removed, spokeswoman Heather Bern said.
"This wasn't a puppy mill," she said. "The owners just liked the small dogs. But they weren't educated on spaying or neutering so the animals were breeding."
Of the 56 dogs, 18 were 2-week-old puppies, and the rest were adults. The owners had had some of the dogs for years and were upset about the seizure, but they cooperated with the removal, Bern said.
Because the owners, a married couple, cooperated, they are not being charged with animal cruelty, Bern said.
The dogs appear to be well-fed and watered, but a veterinarian hasn't checked them out yet, Bern said. If the dogs are found to be healthy enough for adoption, the puppies will live with their mothers in foster homes until they are old enough to be adopted.
"This is a huge seizure, but we had to remove them," Bern said. "The conditions were just terrible." References« TX State Animal Cruelty Map
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