Bloomington — An animal shelter worker and state troopers rescued at least 70 dogs and puppies from a southern Indiana mobile home where a shelter leader said the residents had outfitted the interior with chain-link pens.
Monroe County Humane Association CEO Sarah Hayes said she visited the home in neighboring Greene County with state troopers and a county health official after receiving a tip. She declined to identify the residents or specify the home's location but said they agreed to sign over the animals to the organization.
Hayes told The Herald-Times that the mobile home residents were "mission-driven hoarders" who believed they were helping dogs in need. The dogs were well-fed, but many hadn't received vaccinations, weren't spayed or neutered and were kept in very close quarters, she said.
"Greene County has a very small, nonprofit animal shelter, no animal control and very few, if any, animal-related local ordinances," Hayes said. "So we were very grateful we could get the animals signed over. That means instant ownership."
The residents had created pens for the dogs inside the mobile home by putting up chain-link walls, Hayes said. Dogs were housed in the hallway and in several tiers of decking built outside, while a bedroom contained whelping boxes for puppies, she said.
The dogs were being cared for at Bloomington's police and fire training center until they could be moved to shelters.
Hayes said her organization and the Humane Society of the United States bought medical supplies and are covering the cost of hotel rooms for veterinarians who are checking the animals. Volunteers are taking shifts to care for the animals.
"The good thing is we haven't seen anybody in dire medical condition," veterinarian Lauren Bowling said Tuesday.
Two litters of puppies had suffered something like heat stroke, but were in relatively good shape, she said.
The Greene County health department has told the mobile home residents they must clean up the property, and Hayes said she intended to stay in contact with them to ensure they don't again collect a large number of dogs.
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