GREENVILLE, Texas — The SPCA of Texas and the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office say they removed 36 allegedly abandoned dogs from a property near Greenville Friday.
The dogs were taken to the SPCA of Texas’ Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center, where the SPCA of Texas says they are being assessed and cared for by medical and behavioral staff. They will be evaluated for adoption or placement on a case-by-case basis.
The SPCA of Texas says they received a complaint about the condition of dogs on the property, and investigators with the SPCA of Texas responded to the complaint Thursday.
There were five to six makeshift enclosures on the property's perimeter, with 3-5 dogs in each one for a total of 15 confined outside, according to the SPCA of Texas.
“The conditions in the pens were poor, with standing water and mud. The dogs had access to dirty water and homemade shelters and were shivering and wet from standing in the mud and cold,” a news release from the SPCA of Texas read. “The dogs had overgrown toenails and distended abdomens that could be consistent with parasite infestation.”
SPCA investigators say they also found a motorhome on the property and saw 10-30 terrier-type dogs inside the motorhome through a window.
The SPCA of Texas, Hunt County Sheriff’s Office, and Hunt County Constable’s Office executed search and seizure warrants on the property Friday morning in which 36 dogs – 15 from the pens outside and 21 from inside the motorhome – were taken, according to the SPCA of Texas news release.
A civil custody hearing is set for Jan. 16 in Greenville, according to the SPCA of Texas.
