A whopping 130 dogs need new homes after being taken from a house on Jacksonville’s Westside.
Animal Care and Protective Services carried the Chihuahua mixes out of the home Friday in Lackawanna, bringing them to the shelter on Forest Street.
Animal Care Chief Mike Bricker said the dogs are in good health, but the challenge now is finding them new homes. He said the dogs were not all spayed and neutered, making it illegal.
People who live near the house where the dogs were taken said they’re relieved.
“One-hundred thirty dogs? That’s a lot,” said Eric Smith. “In one house? That’s a lot. … I mean, you’re hoarding animals. That’s insane.”
For years, Smith said he smelled and heard dogs across his street and saw dog food delivered for four years.
“And the whole time you heard barking and there was a smell?” asked First Coast News, the Times-Union’s news partner.
“All the time,” Smith said.
Bricker and his team vaccinated the dogs in front of the home Friday.
He said the home’s owners rented the property, but rent wasn’t paid the last few months and when the owners came to check on their house, they found the dogs inside.
“They’re chubby,” Bricker said about the dogs. “There were puppies that we took earlier, this guy’s a puppy. Yeah, we don’t really think that there’s anything major going on with them.”
Bricker said he doesn’t think the renters had been gone long. It’s unclear whether they will face charges.
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“There’s no legal limit as long as they’re taken care of,” Bricker said. “If you have any more than five they have to be spayed and neutered.”
These dogs were not spayed and neutered, Bricker said. Since 300 dogs are already at their shelter, he said the problem now is finding the Chihuahuas homes quickly. Anyone interested in helping can visit Animal Care at 2020 Forest St. or call (904) 630-2489.
See the original First Coast News story here.
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