AUSTIN, Texas — Warning: Details about the property where the dogs were found may be unsettling to some.
American Pets Alive!, the national education and outreach division of Austin Pets Alive!, rescued 58 dogs last week at a rural Texas property.
The property where the dogs were found was described as "horrific."
"The ammonia from urine and three inches of feces and debris littered the house and stung our eyes. We found dogs were living in closets with rats crawling on them and they were defecating all over the house," said Faith Wright in a press release.
Wright is the shelter management adviser for American Pets Alive!.
The man who owned the property is not named by the groups and will remain anonymous.
According to Austin Pets Alive! public relations and events manager Katera Berent, they were contacted a couple weeks ago by the man who started a rescue that got out of hand.
"His health started failing, his resources started depleting and he needed help," said Berent. "It just wasn't safe for the dogs to be in there – the conditions were continuing to get worse ... This man recognized that and really wanted to help them and get them out of there as well."
According to the groups, when the man's health began to fail, he kept trying to save more dogs anyway because he feared the local animal shelter would kill them.
But the dogs were rescued, as shown in a video by American Pets Alive!.
Now, the dogs are expected to be OK and were transported to multiple shelters not just in Texas, but across the country – to states like Michigan, Tennessee and Ohio.
"It's so rewarding to be here every day and to see the animals go home, and to see the animals get these chances at life that they deserve," said Berent.
Austin Pets Alive! is closed on Christmas Day but reopens on Thursday. To learn how to adopt, visit the organization's website.
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