WASHINGTON — Dogs rescued from a hoarder’s home in West Virginia have been brought to D.C. to recover and should soon be available for adoption.
The 19 pooches arrived Friday afternoon at the Humane Rescue Alliance’s Oglethorpe Street Adoption Center in Northwest D.C. from a partner shelter in the Mountain State.
“The animals were being housed with no electricity, no running water, and the owner of the home was there about once every two weeks,” said Maureen Sosa, intake director at HRA.
Sosa said the owner had been working in a different town and staying there most of the time instead of at the location where the dogs were. Some of the animals had been found living in filth with little food inside the home, while others had been chained up outside.
“They appear to be in OK condition. Very dirty, but nothing a bath can’t take care of,” Sosa said.
“In a lot of cases of hoarding, it starts with one or two animals. People get overwhelmed, they’re not spaying and neutering their pets, and the pets just keep breeding, and pretty soon, it escalates into a situation that a single person or even a few people can’t handle,” Sosa said.
Now, the dogs will get medical care, microchips and, eventually, new owners.
“Our behavior and training team is going to spend some time with them and they’re going to determine what kind of home each individual dog needs,” Sosa said.
“We’re hoping in the next week we can start getting them into homes.”
If you’re interested in possibly adopting one of the dogs, watch HRA’s website for updates.
