MARYLAND -- Montgomery County police seized 66 dogs from a Rockville woman's home on New Year’s Day.
The investigation began Dec. 31 when animal services officers responded to the home for a dog bite case. While speaking to the homeowner outside, police said the officer became suspicious that there might be a large number of animals inside.
A search warrant was executed Jan. 1, and it took 16 hours for animal services to find and track all of the dogs in the house.
“When they went in, they saw the conditions, they saw the circumstances, and at that point in time, what we thought was maybe 20-plus dogs, it ended up being over 60 dogs – 66 in total,” said Tom Koenig of Montgomery County Animal Services.
On Monday, FOX 5’s Emily Miller saw dog food piled up inside the house and dog feces all over the backyard. The owner was not home.
“I've been doing this 11 years and this is the most dogs I’ve ever seen seized,” said Koenig.
The 66 dogs were taken to the county shelter. They are different breeds, sizes and ages. Some of them required immediate medical care.
“It was a variety of conditions. Some okay, some not so okay,” Koenig said.
Currently, the dogs are being kept out of public view because they are considered evidence in an ongoing investigation.
The owner could face criminal charges, including animal cruelty and abuse.
The shelter says it will advertise on its website when the dogs that were seized are ready to be adopted. Until then, they have plenty of other dogs available.
Learn more about adoption: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/asd
(Fox5DC - Jan 4, 2016)
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