Yesterday, February 12th, 32 dogs were rescued from poor living conditions at a Hamburg residence by the SPCA Serving Erie County’s Investigation team.
The dogs, both adults and puppies, are Newfoundland breed mixes.
All dogs have been signed over to the SPCA, where they are currently receiving care for their conditions.
Chief Investigations Officer for the SPCA Serving Erie County Lindsey Wood, who led the hours-long rescue operation, says situations like these are preventable by reaching out to local SPCA sites.
“Our mission is to keep animals with their families and keep them out of shelters. So, if you think that you are getting in over your head, call us. Tell our dispatcher, "I'm overwhelmed. I have 10 dogs; I have 15 cats. Is there any way someone can come help me?", and we can put together an outreach team. We can send people to assess the situation. We can get them linked up with other resources and things in the community to assist them in keeping their population numbers down before it turns into a criminal situation, which is what happened here,” Wood said.
No information is available at this time of when the SPCA will be placing the animals up for adoption.
Woods says the owner, whose name is not being released by the SPCA, was compliant with the SPCA team. They have been charged with animal cruelty and will be arraigned in April.
