Police officers, firefighters, and animal services employees could be seen in hazmat suits and other protective clothing as they went in and out of the house on the 800 block of Castille Drive, which they say was covered in feces.
Police say the homeowner will not be facing any charges. They say he is legally blind, not even able to see a person in front of him. Investigators say his caretaker died a couple of months ago, and that he was the one who actually called animal services.
Investigators say the man told animal services he had more than 50 dogs and needed help because they were multiplying, and the situation was out of his control.
Neighbors like Chris Infante say they had no idea what was going on in the home.
“I’ve never seen him walk a dog, I didn’t even know the barking was coming from that house. So the fact there were so many just blows my mind,” said Infante.
Investigators say the dogs had literally taken over the house, forcing the homeowner to live in the garage. They say conditions were so filthy inside the house, it will likely have to be condemned.
Police say the homeowner was cooperative and willingly surrendered the dogs to animal services.
So far it appears all of the dogs were able to be rescued, and none of them were found dead. But police say many of the dogs were in serious need of medical attention.
We tried to reach Seminole County Animal Control to ask them what would be done with all of the dogs, but we did not immediately receive a call back.
(CFNews13 - Aug 1, 2013)
