Nearly 50 dogs rescued in Jefferson County, Arkansas, are now being cared for in Florida.
- Dogs removed from property, transported to Florida
- 'Unpleasant, unfortunate situation' described
- Goal is to get the dogs adopted
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office served a search and seizure warrant on June 29 at a location there. Deputies found many of the animals were in urgent need of veterinary care and living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
Forty-six dogs were removed from the property. Deputies said many were unsocialized, living in feces and filth and didn't have access to clean water or food.
The Humane Society of the United States transported the animals to a temporary emergency shelter, and now they are being sent to other shelters including SPCA Tampa Bay, Humane Society of Tampa Bay, Humane Society of Sarasota County, Alachua County Humane Society, Humane Society of Naples and Tri-County Animal Rescue.
"We have created through the animal welfare field a huge nationwide network that moves animals to communities that can take them," said Martha Boden, CEO of SPCA Tapma Bay.
"So, in this case, these animals came from Arkansas, but they went out to shelters throughout Florida and even one in Tennessee, because there are communities here that have the capacity and the demand for pets like these," she said.
Four dogs are being housed at the SPCA Tampa Bay facility in Largo.
"These four dogs came from a very unpleasant, unfortunate situation in Arkansas where they were living in filth and under-fed and under-nourished," Boden said. "They need a lot of help."
The dogs are being given heartworm treatments, among other things.
"We don't know what they went through before they got here, but this gives them a wonderful opportunity to get some love and attention," Boden said. "This could be the best experience of their lives so far."
Officials estimate the dogs are between 2-5 years old and are mixed breed dogs weighing 30 pounds or less.
Once the dogs have healed, the goal is to get them adopted.