On Wednesday night, the Hopkins County Humane Society got a call from a neighboring county desperate for help.
A terrible dog hoarding situation had been discovered in a neighboring county that currently has no animal control officer and whose shelter is under new management, which meant they were unable to fully deal with the situation themselves.
And it was quite a situation. While the HCHS said they would help, they were stunned when they arrived on the scene and saw the deplorable condition the dogs were in.
“Nothing prepared us for what we saw once on scene,” the HCHS posted on Saturday in a plea for help. “Dogs in pens so grown up that the only way we knew they were there was because of their barking.
“In the vast majority of these pens with the dogs, were the skeletal remains of presumed kennel mates. The gates on these pens were wired and rusted shut. Food and water were being dumped over for them. They would consume their food on mounds of accumulated feces, urine and bones.”
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The first day, they collected 13 dogs, the next day they took 10, and later in the week they rescued one more for a total of 24 dogs pulled from those wretched conditions.
Of course, having been kept for so long without proper basic care, the dogs are suffering from a variety of different health conditions.
“The ‘caretakers’ of these dogs have failed them, now it’s our job to bring these animals back to life,” the humane society continued. “To do that, we need the community’s help. All 23 will need Vet care. All of them have skin issues, hair loss and dental issues.
“We can not save these animals without your help, but we know how our strong community always pulls together to accomplish [its] goals!”
A Facebook page was started for the 24 dogs pulled from the situation called 23andUs + 1. The humane society will keep people updated on the dogs’ conditions and adoption statuses — but they have a long way to go before they’re healthy enough to be adopted.
“Suzy and Aspen were seen today at Tender Care Veterinary Clinic,” 23andUs + 1 posted on Monday. “Both have Sarcoptic Mange and Demodectic Mange. Aspen also has a Bacterial Infection and Suzy also has a Staph Infection.
“Both of these babies will need medications for several months and Suzy will need a surgery soon to remove a tumor. Please send love to both of these sweethearts!”
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Thousands of dollars have already been donated to help with the care of these poor animals, and the humane society is thankful for their supporters.
“We are so thankful and humbled by the outpour of love and support by not only our amazing community, but from individuals and organizations all across the nation!” they wrote in a comment on their original post.
“Thank you all! Each and every one of you are contributing to a second chance, a path forward for these poor helpless souls.”
To see more photos and follow the stories of these dogs as they recover, you can check out the 23andUs + 1 Facebook page.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
