25 animals seized from home
Humane society rescues 19 dogs, 6 cats; ownership uncertain
4/12/2014
CTY ANIMALS11p 04/11/2014 The Blade/Lori King Animal care specialist Laura Woda puts one of the many lab mixes brought in from a home on Portsmouth Ave. into a pen at the Toledo Area Humane Society in Maumee, Ohio. The other visible 3 dogs are also a part of that pack.
THE BLADE/LORI KING
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The Toledo Area Humane Society is struggling to find space for the 19 dogs, mostly Labrador retriever mixes, and six cats it rescued from a home on Friday.
The Toledo Area Humane Society on Friday seized 25 dogs and cats from a suspected animal hoarder in 2200 block of Portsmouth Avenue in Toledo.
The humane society received a call from a neighbor Thursday. The organization visited the property Friday and removed 19 dogs, mostly yellow Labrador retriever mixes, and six cats.
“We were told there were two adult dogs and two litters of puppies,” Gary Willoughby, executive director, said. “There were obviously many more than that.”
Mr. Willoughby said the animals all appear to be in good physical condition, though many have minor injuries from apparent scuffs among themselves.
“They seem generally friendly, just unsocialized and scared,” he said.
It took the organization about two hours to round up all the animals, which were loaded into three vans. The animals are being kept at the shelter.
The name of the person who lives at the residence and details on the condition of the house were not immediately available.
The Toledo Area Humane Society is struggling to find space for the 19 dogs, mostly Labrador retriever mixes, and six cats it rescued from a home on Friday.
Mr. Willoughby said there is some question as to who actually owns the animals, but he hopes all of them will be surrendered to the humane society.
Large seizures place a strain on the shelter's resources.
Some of the dogs are being housed two and three to a kennel and a few are in the general adoption area, although there are signs showing they are not up for adoption.
“Space is always at a premium,” Mr. Willoughby said. “When we have something unexpected like this and there are a bunch of animals that can't yet go up for adoption, that’s when we really struggle.”
To free up space, the humane society is offering a 25 percent discount on all dog and puppy adoptions through Sunday.
Contact Alexandra Mester: amester@theblade.com, 419-724-6066, or on Twitter @AlexMesterBlade.