NEW MEXICO -- Doña Ana County animal control personnel this week removed 36 dogs from a property north of Las Cruces, a number of which were living in squalid conditions in a home there.
By Wednesday, 15 of the dogs — Czech Shepherds — had been euthanized at the Animal Service Center of the Mesilla Valley because of health or behavior problems, mainly aggression toward people, according to Doña Ana County officials.
The dogs were believed to have been left unattended for several days in and around a home on Southwind Road. The house had compacted dog feces up to 6 inches deep in some places, buildup that may have happened over months or years.
At least one person who saw the dogs said most of them appeared to be generally OK physically, though some were not socialized to interact with people. There were a few puppies and young dogs.
The property — but not the group of dogs — is owned by Robert Monsivaiz, recently retired Doña Ana County fire chief, who said this week he'd been in a series of legal wranglings in recent months to obtain control of the land and home from an occupant, who owned the dogs. Monsivaiz said he bought the property last year during an auction held by the state to recoup delinquent property taxes. But, after his purchase, the person living there never moved out — at least not until recently.
"What ends up happening is: The state sells the property, but whoever buys the property, it's up to them to have the tenants vacate the property," Monsivaiz said. "I've been trying to acquire my property since June."
Monsivaiz said a judge set a deadline for the man to move out by Dec. 26, but that didn't happen. So, Monsivaiz had started the process of requesting law enforcement to carry out an eviction. But before that was finished, the man left the home, something Monsivaiz discovered last week.
After that, Monsivaiz said he attempted to visit his property, but a number of the Czech Shepherds approached him. He was concerned about his safety, so he didn't go further. But on Sunday, Monsivaiz visited again and concluded that the dogs didn't seem to want to attack. So he entered the home for the first time, only to find it full of dogs and
"wall-to-wall" dog feces in some rooms. The feces were several inches high in places, he said.
"As I went through the house, there was tons and tons and tons of dogs," he said. "This guy just left all these dogs there."
Some of the dogs were able to enter and leave the home through a broken window. But a few were shut in behind closed doors of rooms, which Monsivaiz said he opened to allow them to get out. One dog was very old, but there were a variety of ages. Most seemed to be relatively healthy, though Monsivaiz emphasized it would take a veterinarian to know for sure.
Still, "whether they were malnourished or not, these dogs have been in some very poor conditions," he said. "They're beautiful dogs, though."
Monsivaiz reported the conditions to county Animal Control, including that the dogs had likely not eaten since at least Dec. 30.
"Someone took some food to them (Monday)," he said.
Animal control personnel were at the property much of Tuesday removing most of the Czech Shepherds from the property. But a few escaped. Personnel set live traps, which yielded three more captured dogs on Wednesday.
County spokesman Jess Williams said the owner of the dogs is "in a medical facility out of state," but an attorney, acting on the man's behalf, relinquished ownership of the animals to the county animal control personnel. The dogs were then taken to the ASCMV.
Of the dogs that weren't euthanized, four young puppies were transported to a rescue facility in Santa Fe on Wednesday morning, Williams said.
"They range in age from the puppies to animals that are estimated to be 10-plus years old," he said. "Three are being treated for medical conditions."
Shelter officials are seeking potential pet adopters.
While the dogs are Czech Shepherds, there's no way to tell whether they're purebred, Williams said.
As for whether the case could result in charges being filed against the dogs' now-former owner, Williams said he wasn't aware of "any criminal charges being contemplated."
But, "as in any animal case, the ACOs (animal control officers) have the wherewithal to work with the sheriff's department to file charges if they are merited," he said. "Animal cruelty in Doña Ana County is not taken lightly."
The dogs' owner at one time did have a county-issued permit to have up to 15 dogs on the property under a provision in county ordinances, Williams said. But 36 dogs is a "clear violation of the ordinance," he said.
It's unclear whether the permit was current or not.
For information about adopting a pet, call the animal shelter, 3551 Bataan Memorial West in Las Cruces, at 575-382-0018.
(
Las Cruces Sun - Jan 6, 2016)
