Utah police discover 152 dogs in ‘extremely poor’ conditions

Tim Vandenack, KSL.com

OGDEN (KSL.com) — The Ogden Police Department’s animal control team discovered 152 dogs living at a home following a report of possible neglect and has removed the animals for care and evaluation.

“All 152 dogs were safely removed from the property and are currently receiving veterinary care, evaluations and shelter support,” Ogden police said in a statement Wednesday.

Ogden animal services officers went to a home in the 3000 block of Jefferson Avenue in an older residential neighborhood of Ogden on Tuesday after receiving the report of the conditions. “Upon arrival and further investigation, officers discovered 152 dogs living in extremely poor and overcrowded conditions,” reads the statement.

Given the scale of the situation, representatives with the Weber County, Roy and Draper animal services offices assisted. The dogs are getting veterinary care and shelter support.

The case remains under investigation and additional details surrounding the circumstances that led to the situation or the specific condition of the animals were not provided. The operation echoes a similar situation in 2012, when 149 sick and starving dogs were found in an Ogden home, apparently the same one that was the focus of Tuesday’s rescue efforts, according to a KSL-TV report from the time and neighbors.

The police statement hints that the animals, at least some of them, would soon be put up for adoption, possibly on Monday, April 21, following proper care and attention. “Community members interested in adopting are encouraged to monitor Weber County Animal Services for updates on availability and adoption procedures,” the police statement said.

Lisa Peterson, who lives in the neighborhood, happened upon the operation Tuesday evening as she was trying to find the owner of two dogs she found wandering near her home. The strays she encountered were not from the Jefferson Avenue home and she was able to reunite them with their owner.

“Animal control officers were putting on their hazmat gear. Officers were spraying their pants with Lysol, trying to disinfect from being in the home. One of the fire department gentlemen put on full hazmat gear with an oxygen tank and mask and everything,” she said. “I can only imagine the state of the home.”

She didn’t see the dogs coming out but saw officers carry kennels into the home to hold the animals. However, as a foster care provider for animals in Weber and Davis counties, she called around after the fact and gleaned some information on the dogs found inside the Jefferson Avenue home. “There are a lot of small breeds and a lot of puppies. They’re all malnourished and needing medical attention,” she said.

Reps from Weber County Animal Services, which operates the main animal shelter in the county, didn’t immediately respond to a query seeking comment but referenced the situation in a post on its Facebook page. “This is an ongoing investigation. We will release information as we are able to. Please give animal control, police, and the shelter time to work and get this taken care of,” the message reads.

Peterson, though, said help will be needed in caring for the animals. “We are quickly looking for foster placement homes for these animals. We need donations of food, medicine, blankets, people to volunteer. We need adopters and foster homes,” she said.

Likewise, Weber County Animal Services reposted a message on its Facebook page calling for foster care providers. The original message was posted on the Weber County Animal Shelter Foster Animals Facebook page in light of the removal of the 152 dogs. “We already have so many dogs available for adoption at Weber County Animal Services. Fostering one of them even for a couple of weeks will open up kennels and give staff the time they need to get this figured out,” reads the message.

Weber County Animal Services posted details online on how the public can make donations to assist the organization in coping with the influx of animals.

Neighbors said Tuesday’s operation resulted in the temporary closure of Jefferson Avenue, where the home containing the dogs is located, as officials removed the animals. Nerik Guerrero said a trailer was parked in the driveway of the home during the operation, apparently to hold the animals after they were removed.

“That’s a lot. How can you handle that much?” Guerrero said. He lives a few homes down from where the animals were removed but said he had no inkling that many dogs were inside.

According to the 2012 KSL-TV report, the occupant of the home where the 149 dogs were removed at that time had asked for help in contending with the critters. “He fed the animals instead of paying his electric bill,” one of the rescuers said at the time.