Dozens of dogs confiscated from hoarding situation in Bloomington, animal shelter seeks help

Laura Lane, The Herald-Times
·2 min read
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Some of the dogs taken from a Bloomington home on March 17 now housed at Bloomington's animal shelter. Officials there said the dogs' owner had fed and given water to the dogs but did not have required permits to breed or to possess so many.
Some of the dogs taken from a Bloomington home on March 17 now housed at Bloomington's animal shelter. Officials there said the dogs' owner had fed and given water to the dogs but did not have required permits to breed or to possess so many.

Criminal charges could result from a case where 68 dogs were living inside a near-westside Bloomington house.

About 10 a.m. March 17, animal control officers and police went to a residence on North Adams Street with a search warrant in hand.

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Preliminary police reports indicate they rounded up 58 dogs from the 700-square-foot residence, which property records say sits on a .13-acre lot. Ten dogs from the home had been surrendered at the city's animal shelter the previous day.

Someone who bought a dog from the man living at the house reported concerns to authorities, a police report said.

There was a mix of adults and puppies removed, reports said. One dog was euthanized because of old age and multiple health issues. The others are being assessed and examined by veterinarians.

As the shelter struggled to make room for the dogs, some went to the animal shelter in Brown County. And for three hours on Sunday afternoon, adoption fees were waived for dogs already at the shelter to free up cages.

Some of the dogs taken from a Bloomington home on March 17 now housed at Bloomington's animal shelter. Officials there said the dogs' owner had fed and given water to the dogs but did not have required permits to breed or to possess so many.
Some of the dogs taken from a Bloomington home on March 17 now housed at Bloomington's animal shelter. Officials there said the dogs' owner had fed and given water to the dogs but did not have required permits to breed or to possess so many.

Previous shelter issues:Bloomington Animal Shelter adopts out 85 animals after cry for help with overcrowding

The shelter put out a plea for bedding, food, cash and other needs, and also for people willing to foster current shelter dogs in their homes until the new batch of dogs can be moved out and adopted.

Penny Reid and Joey Like took in a 2-year-old Husky mix called Athena they can shelter for six weeks. "When the shelter said it needed short-term fosters to make room for the new hoarding rescues," Reid said they stepped up. "She’s fitting in fine, but the cats are furious."

Bloomington Animal Care and Control workers are documenting the dogs' conditions and will forward final reports to police for further investigation, a police report said.

The city issued a news release about the dogs' seizure that said the animals "were taken from a hoarding/unauthorized breeding operation."

To learn more about the dog foster program or to complete an application, go to bloomington.in.gov/animal-shelter/foster.

Bedding donations can be dropped off in the white bin outside the front entrance at the Bloomington Animal Shelter, at 3410 S. Walnut St.

Monetary donations are accepted at the shelter from noon to 4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Call 812-349-3492 with any questions.

“The Bloomington Animal Shelter is grateful to BPD and the Monroe County Sheriff's Department for their assistance in removing the animals,” animal shelter director Virgil Sauder said in the news release.

"We would also like to thank our dedicated fosters and volunteers for their hard work and community commitment."

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Dozens of dogs confiscated from hoarding situation in Bloomington