85 abandoned dogs found in Idaho home after tenant evicted

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Police in northern Idaho say 85 dogs were found abandoned in a home where a tenant had recently been evicted.

The Kootenai Humane Society took in 66 of the dogs found in the Kellogg home on Monday. It was the most animals the organization has rescued from a single case, KHS executive director Debbie Jeffrey said.

“I’ve never seen anything this bad,” she said.

Kellogg Police Sgt. Paul Twidt said the dogs were discovered when the landlord of the home and an animal control officer went to do a walk-through of the property on Monday. The landlord had been notified the night before that there were several dogs living at the property and that they needed help.

The tenant was gone when the landlord arrived, Twidt said. The house was filthy, with 85 dogs and 10 cats inside — including some puppies found inside the home’s walls, Jeffrey said.

One of the dogs was dead and another had to be euthanized. Nearby shelters agreed to take some of the dogs and the cats, Jeffrey said, but most ended up at her facility.

“Normally with hoarding cases you’re working with temperament and illness and getting them to trust you,” she said. “These guys have not been abused.”

The animals were generally healthy, well-fed and even had their nails clipped. Most were Terriers, Jack Russells and Chihuahuas, and some were pregnant. Some could be ready for adoption this weekend, Jeffrey said.

“You won’t believe how cute they are. They are just the sweetest little things. You just want to hold them all,” Jeffrey said. “We don’t have to spend time acclimating them to people. How she did that, I don’t know.”

Twidt said an animal cruelty investigation is underway.