Toledo Area Humane Society seizes 25 dogs, cats from suspected animal hoarder
4/11/2014The Toledo Area Humane Society today seized 25 dogs and cats from a suspected animal hoarder on 2200 block of Portsmouth Avenue in Toledo.
The humane society received a call from a neighbor Thursday about the problem. The organization visited today and removed a total of 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 scrapes and minor injuries from getting into disagreements 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.
“We had every crate and carrier full," Mr. Willoughby said.
The animals are being held at the shelter while a possible animal cruelty case is investigated. The name of the person who lives at the residence and details on the condition of the house were not immediately available. Mr. Willoughby said there is some question as to who actually owns the animals, but he hopes all of them will be formally 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 on their kennels indicating they are not available 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 help free up space for the newcomers, the humane society is offering a 25 percent discount on all dog and puppy adoptions now through Sunday.
Contact Alexandra Mester: amester@theblade.com, 419-724-6066, or on Twitter @AlexMesterBlade.