TUCSON, Ariz. - About 800 small dogs, including Chihuahuas, terriers and Pomeranians, were seized from a triple-wide mobile home whose occupants were overwhelmed trying to care for the animals, authorities said Wednesday.




Pima County sheriff's deputies and animal welfare officials who removed the dogs also found 82 caged parrots in the home in a rural area northwest of Tucson.

Some dogs were pregnant and giving birth as they were taken to shelters in Tucson, said Jenny Rose, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. Ninety-six dogs were taken from the house Monday and another 700 on Wednesday, she said.

"The home was definitely in very bad condition, urine and feces all over the home, in the kitchen and bedroom, with a very strong odor," she said. "Obviously, 800 dogs in a triple-wide mobile home, they were packed in there. That being said, they were in pretty good shape."

The elderly owners, who have not been identified, were apparently overwhelmed but have cooperated with authorities, sheriff's Sgt. James Ogden said. No charges have been filed, but authorities continue to investigate.

The animals appeared to have had enough food, but a few were missing paws — some from having been attacked by other animals, others apparently having caught their feet in fencing outside, Rose said.

The breeds included Chinese cresteds and Lhasa apsos. The owners were breeding and offering the dogs for sale, Rose said, but she described it as a hoarding case, in which elderly people sometimes feel no one else can give their animals a good home and won't part with them.

Deputies were alerted this month after a woman who bought a Chihuahua at the home reported the conditions, Ogden said.

The dogs living inside the house apparently had free run of the premises, Ogden said. Others were found in other structures on the property.

Ogden described the living conditions as "horrible, filth everywhere ... probably one of the worst (situations) I've ever seen."

The animals will be offered for adoption soon, Rose said, adding that a rescue group from Phoenix had taken 100 of the dogs.

lol wtf is that true? how do u fit 800 dogs in a trailor

damn. thats a lot of freakin dogs

i know crazy huh

A hoader is a shelter workres worse night mare! Saddest thing is, often the people are in as bad shape as the animals. They really think they are doing best for the animals & that shelters are the enemy, & they refuse help for the animals or themselves.

I have 1 dog & 3 cats & 3 birds, sometimes I feel like I havn't got the time to give then all the attention they need. I know I can't take in any more. A hoarder will not realise this & keep collecting.

WTH. This gives Tucson a bad name.

Looks like there was gonna be a bento sale next week.....WHEW!

my mom used to have a neighbor that lived like 4-5blocks away, and she had about 10 plus cats. and it was on the news and in the paper that she was mistreating them and they were dying left and right and they urine all ovre the house, the lady was arrested and she sold house and it took the people that bought it awhile to really clean it, as they had to no only replace the carpet but the floors as well. as there would had a time i would walk by it would stink and the neighbors complained

Are these people related to the lady who sat on the toilet seat for two years? If so, maybe that's why the dogs were neglected?!

I saw this on TV. According to the news reporter, these people were selling the animals. Somehow or other, things got beyond them where they wound up with too many animals. However, the newscaster said that doesn't matter. They will be charged on individual counts of cruelty to animals for each animal found abused.

The TV showed a picture of the inside of the trailer. It was unreal. There were little crates where two and three animals were stuffed into each one. Each crate was piled on top of the other, which is why they were able to put so many animals into one trailer. The sheriff said as he approached the trailer, the smell was putrid .... he never encountered anything like it in his life. Most of the animals were in real bad shape, missing paws and other terrible things.

well that explains the smell....

Here is a link to the news video.

http://www.kpho.com/news/15579448/detail.html

Hoarding is a mental illness.Sounds like a wee bit of Altzheimers also.This is why its good to know your neighbors and check on them..especially the elderly.