Two young children were taken into protective custody and nearly 40 animals were seized from an East Side home after investigators discovered them in "urine-soaked, feces-laden" living conditions, an official said Friday.
The Pima Animal Care Center had taken into custody on Friday 29 dogs, including Yorkshire terriers, Chihuahuas and cocker spaniels, along with seven birds and three cats, said Kim Janes, manager of the center.
Four adults and two toddlers live in the home, Janes said. The two children were taken into custody by the state's Child Protective Services.
Animal Care was made aware of the situation after a woman called to report that she bought a Yorkshire terrier from the homeowner, but that she took it to a veterinarian a couple of days later when it became sick, Janes said.
The puppy was diagnosed with parvo, a highly contagious virus, and died shortly thereafter, he said.
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The Animal Care Center then got another report from the Humane Society of Southern Arizona about a woman who took her daughter to buy a dog from the owner but left without one after seeing the conditions of the home, said Elaine Klein, field investigator for the care center.
On Thursday, Klein went to check out the home, in the 7500 block of East 32nd Street, near East Golf Links and South Prudence roads.
"The minute I stepped out of the truck, there was an overwhelming smell," Klein said. "I was in the house briefly. There were multiple dogs in a crate. (The crates were) stacked up on top of each other. I went into a room with two children, and there were 15 dogs in there with them."
A lot of the dogs had eye infections and hair loss, Klein said. It appeared that they had not been socialized, because they had very bad temperaments, she said.
Half of them didn't have water, and the other half were not vaccinated, she said.
"I hate to say it, but this is your typical backyard breeder," Klein said.
The residents of the house did not give Klein full access, so a search warrant was obtained and served Friday around noon.
Animal Care officers worked to remove all of the dogs, which likely have been exposed to parvovirus, Janes said. The owner of the animals signed them all over to the agency.
They will undergo a medical examination and then be turned over to animal-rescue groups for rehabilitation before they can be adopted, Janes said.
According to Janes, an Animal Care officer went to the home in late April for a welfare check, but at the time there were about 15 dogs at the home.
"That officer didn't feel the need to go further, based on what he saw that day," Janes said.
At that time, the owner was cited for not having the dogs vaccinated.
Citations for Friday's incident are pending, Janes said.
John Biggs, who lives across the street, was oblivious to the fact that more than two dozen dogs were being kept at the home.
"Every once in a while I heard the dogs when someone would get home, but I had no idea," he said. "It didn't bother me."
Joel Paton, 22, doesn't live in the neighborhood, but he visits a friend there frequently.
"I hear barking a lot, mostly during the day and early evening," Paton said. "I always wondered how many dogs they had over there. I guessed 15 to 20."
