Animal hoarder had 208 dogs, Florida cops say. Now, dozens are finding new homes
Just a few days after more than 200 dogs were found neglected at a Florida home, dozens of animals were given a second chance.
Deputies were called to an Interlachen home March 13 after reports of possible animal neglect by the “elderly” homeowner, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
When they arrived, they found hundreds of small breed dogs in and around the house in varying levels of health, deputies said.
“When contact was made with the elderly owner, it was determined that the dogs were being fed and cared over, but the number of un-spayed and neutered animals caused the situation to spiral to unmanageable numbers,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office put out a plea for all animal rescues in central Florida to take some of the animals as officials continued to work through the property.
“We want to ensure these animals are taken care of and vetted to the appropriate homes, so we are calling on rescues to help due to the sheer number of animals we received at intake,” Deputy County Administrator Julianne Young said in the release. “This is something that the facilities at Animal Control cannot handle long-term for adoption purposes.”
It took deputies two days to rescue all the animals, but in the end 208 dogs were caught at the property, 70 were placed in rescue facilities, and a groomer and vet came forward to give exams and clean the dogs, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies also announced an adoption event for the first round of animals that had been medically cleared and were ready for adoption.
On March 15, the rescues came together for an adoption event in Palatka, and potential families came in droves, the sheriff’s office said.
“Over 100 people came to check out the adoptable pups who got their first set of vaccines prior to leaving,” the sheriff’s office said. “We are so happy to have partnered with so many rescues and other animal service organizations who helped take in about 170 of the dogs.”
The event ended early when all eligible dogs were adopted, deputies said.
More than 40 dogs were adopted and were sent home with new loved ones, according to the sheriff’s office.
“For those who adopted today, animal control has partnered with an organization that is offering free or reduced spay and neuter services so we do not have more unwanted litters,” the sheriff’s office said.
More dogs are expected to be eligible for adoption as their medical care is completed.
“We will continue to work with the owner in this situation as she remains cooperative. However, this is a reminder as to the importance of spaying and neutering pets,” sheriff’s office Col. Joe Wells said in a release. “The living situation for the owner as well as the animals deteriorated and now we are trying to find homes for a lot of extra dogs.”
Palatka is about a 50-mile drive south from Jacksonville.
