Police say last week, the Seattle Animal Shelter received information from a property manager that residents at a home in the 4500 block of 11th Avenue NE were keeping dozens of animals in unsanitary conditions.
Neighbors told KING 5 they'd been hearing constant barking for months and had called animal control several times to complain and ask that someone check on the animals.
"We're animal lovers," said Nathan Lazro-Shea. "And so hearing something like this, I think it's just terrible. We heard some of the dogs hadn't even had a chance to get out of their cages."
He said he never once saw a dog or cat outside the townhome, but worried that far too many animals were living there based on the noise he heard from inside.
Animal shelter staff worked with Seattle Police to investigate the case, leading them to serve a warrant at the home on Wednesday morning.
Police say inside the townhome officers found 28 dogs - including retrievers, poodles and terriers.
They also found six cats and four chinchillas. Many of the animals were in cages, covered in their own urine and feces.
The smell inside the apartment was so bad, officers had to take breaks and take turns going inside for only a few minutes at a time.
"We wear gloves, we wear masks," said Ann Graves with the Seattle Animal Shelter. "But it smells. It's bad, it can be overwhelming. The urine smell can actually be dangerous to your health."
The Seattle Animal Shelter's Humane Animal Law Enforcement Officers took custody of all of the animals, which are now being evaluated by veterinarians.
Police and animal shelter officers are interviewing the residents at the home and will work together to review the case for possible charges. In the City of Seattle, the legal limit on the number of animals allowed inside a home is set at three.
(King5 - Sept 3, 2015)
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