OGDEN, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Animal rescue groups are working to get 60 dogs adopted after they found them being hoarded in an Ogden home.
Owners of Pack 'N Pounce Animal Rescue in Ogden were tipped off about the hoarding after the man responsible called them to admit he needed help with the dogs. "He said he had 60 dogs and we were like nobody has 60 dogs," said Brenda Gordon, owner of Pack 'N Pounce.
Ogden City Animal Control helped get the dogs out of the house located at 3011 Jefferson Avenue in Ogden on Monday. They say most of the dogs were small breeds and ranged in age from puppies to adults.
It's unclear how long the dogs had been living in the two-bedroom home, but according to Ogden City, it was a case where the owner started with a couple of dogs and then the situation spiraled out of control. "He was kind hearted. Neighbors would put dogs in his yard because they knew how much he loved dogs. Because those dogs weren't fixed, they would breed with the other ones," said Gordon.
There was no indication that the animals were being abused, but rescuers say if the hoarding had gone on much longer, most of them would have probably starved to death. They say the man had turned off his electricity just to pay for dog food. "It is very unhealthy for the animals to be crowded liked that. They injured themselves. You can see where some of them have scars," said Gordon.
In Ogden it's illegal to have more than two dogs per household. Despite that, animal control has decided not to cite the owner. Instead, they say they'd rather use the situation to shed light on a growing problem. "Most people who hoard pets do it because they think they're the only ones that can take care of these animals." said Gordon.
Pack 'N Pounce is working to get almost half of the dogs adopted. If you're interested, you can call them at (801) 710-6440. The rest of the dogs are available for adoption at the Weber County Animal Shelter. Their number is (801) 399-8244.
