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Two cats, a turtle, and a guinea pig were also set to be removed from the Middleborough home.
The Middleborough Health Department is conducting an animal welfare investigation and plans to remove over a dozen dogs in need of medical care from a now-condemned house.
Middleborough Animal Control responded to 53 Precinct St. Friday to execute an administrative warrant as part of the investigation, the town said in a statement. At the same time, the MSPCA Law Enforcement Department executed a criminal warrant regarding horses on the property.
Animal Control officers found 17 unregistered dogs, which did not have access to food or water, in need of medical care inside the home, authorities said.
A majority of the dogs were thin and living in filth, officials said. The MSPCA offered to take the animals so they could be kept together.
“They were clearly neglected, but are alive and we will be taking care of them,” Animal Control officer Kevin Roscoe said at a press conference.
Roscoe said he believes all the dogs will survive. Animal Control took one of the dogs, which was in need of urgent medical attention. The Health Department was planning to remove the other 16 dogs as well as two cats, a turtle, and a guinea pig.
The Health Department condemned the house as a health hazard, and the town’s Fire Department determined that it is also a fire hazard.
The hoarding conditions and lack of working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors indicated that the home is hazardous, Fire Chief Owen Thompson said.
“The Middleborough Police Department has not filed any criminal charges at this time, but the investigation remains active and ongoing,” the town’s statement says.
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