WACO, Texas (KXXV) — The Humane Society of Central Texas helped relocate 61 dogs from a single home in Bell County earlier this month after local officials found the owner in violation of a local ordinance limiting households to four pets.
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Sarah Fanning, Operations & Program Director at the Humane Society of Central Texas, said the organization received a call from rescue partners who needed help depopulating the home, which had 62 dogs inside.
"It was really important to me to get involved so that we could make sure that the human that had the animals was also being taken care of," Fanning said.
Following concerns from neighbors, local officials discovered the ordinance violation and gave the owner until the end of the month to comply. Fanning said the situation was not one of malice.
"Not all cases like these are ones of neglect, or abuse. This is just a situation where they were overwhelmed and didn't have the resources to stop the cycle," Fanning said.
The dogs were found in decent condition, according to Fanning.
"There was some dogs that are like the poodle mixes that were matted, so they had to get groomed. They didn't have any vetting prior so we did have to do vaccines of course, and deworming, but no one was underweight so we know it wasn't a case of neglect," Fanning said.
The owner was allowed to keep one of the dogs. The remaining animals were distributed among rescue organizations, with 12 currently in foster care through the Humane Society of Central Texas.
"Everyone else is with other rescues, and 12 of these guys are in our foster care right now," Fanning said.
Two dogs have since been adopted. Zoey and Penny are currently being fostered by a Humane Society of Central Texas employee.
Fanning said compassion for the people involved in situations like this is essential.
"It's just really important to me that we provide compassion to the people involved because otherwise they may be afraid to ask for help. If you always shame people, or make them feel embarrassed, it sets the example to other people who may be in the same situation," Fanning said.
Those interested in donating toward veterinary care for the dogs or in adopting can visit the Humane Society of Central Texas website.
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