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Rescued Dogs, Cats Found In Deplorable Conditions Get New Leash On Life

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Days after dozens of dogs were rescued from, what animal services called "deplorable conditions," some of those pups are getting ready to get their new leash on life.

According to officials from Miami-Dade Animal Services, 99 dogs and 5 cats were "victims of neglect and rescued from inhumane conditions on Thursday from a property in South Miami-Dade."

The dogs are small to medium size Shih Tzu, Basset Hound, and terrier mixes.

By Monday morning, many of those rescued pets were ready for adoption.

Veterinarians at the Pet Adoption and Protection Center clinic in Doral worked around the clock over the weekend to provide medical care for the rescued animals.

"A lot of them are severely matted," explains Kathleen Labrada, Assistant Director of Miami-Dade Animal Services. "We're finding fishhooks wires and other things in these enormous mats that these dogs are carrying around. In one of the most striking cases, we had a dog come in that weighed 19 pounds on intake. A 10-pound mat was shaved off of her."

Animals Deplorable Condition
99 dogs and 5 cats rescued from South Miami-Dade home in deplorable conditions on June 6, 2019 (Courtesy: Miami-Dade County)

As of Monday afternoon, about half of the animals had been groomed and about a dozen were ready for adoption.

"Once they are sterilized, they are being moved out into the public areas," Labrada says. "A number of the dogs are currently ready for adoption. Anyone interested should come on in."

One of the rescues, a dachshund, has already been adopted.

Anyone interested can log on to petharbor.com to view the animals.

Animals Deplorable Conditions 2
99 dogs and 5 cats rescued from South Miami-Dade home in deplorable conditions on June 6, 2019 (Courtesy: Miami-Dade County)

The animals were discovered following a Good Samaritan's call to 311 to report abuse.

The former owner, Alice James, says she did not do anything wrong.

"They were well taken care of. They had enough food. They were spoon fed. Always. At night, they needed to have their scrambled eggs," explained James.

James and other people who live at the home invited County workers inside to see the dogs. After an inspection, workers say all of the animals were taken away because of inhumane conditions.

Animal Services plans to turn the case over to the State Attorney's Office.

A spokesperson says they hope the former owner gets mandatory counseling.

 

To adopt one of these pets, visit animals.miamidade.gov or call 311.

 

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