Extreme animal hoarding case in Pinal County

FLORENCE -- Pinal County Animal Care & Control responded to an extreme animal hoarding case south of Maricopa on Tuesday.

In total, 93 dogs were taken in, along with five exotic birds.

"Our officers have responded to multiple cases of animal hoarding in the last 12 months," said Kaye Dickson. "We worked through the night to shuttle these animals to our shelter after finding them on a remote rural property. Our shelter is exceeding capacity and we are operating under emergency conditions."

Animal Control ruled the house uninhabitable. There was no electricity and no running water. Floors were covered with garbage and several inches of fecal matter. One dog had severely infected bite wounds and had to be euthanized to prevent continued suffering.

"We worked this incident in fear for our own health," Dickson said. "I cannot fathom how the two adult residents were able to live there."

The owner voluntarily surrendered the animals, allowing the animals to be put up for adoption in the coming weeks. A veterinarian must first examine the dogs as part of the ongoing investigation.

For more information click here and go to Animal Control.