Acting on an anonymous tip, Animal Care and Control Director Ruth Stalter worked with the County Attorney's Office to procure a search and seizure order for a home in Hidden Valley.
"This is actually the second time we have had to rescue animals from that same person," said Stalter. "We were out there in 2004 when we removed 58 cats and 40 dogs. The owner was then convicted on animal cruelty charges."
On Monday, seven Animal Care and Control officers arrived at the home to inspect the conditions in the house where the animals were kept. Director Stalter said the findings were startling.
"The house was simply filthy with no running water," Stalter said. "There were layers of feces on the floor throughout the trailer. No litter box was provided for the cats that were living in the house. It was shocking. This is the largest rescue from hoarding-type conditions in the history of Animal Care and Control."
Working with Sheriff's Office personnel, it took Animal Care and Control officers more than eight hours to remove all the animals from the home.
"Thanks to the Sheriff's Department," Stalter said, "we were able to come up with a horse trailer to transport the animals to our facility at Eleven Mile Corner. It took us two trips to collect all the cats that were in the home."
On Tuesday afternoon, the family signed all the cats and dogs to Animal Care and Control. They will undergo a veterinary check-up and, if deemed healthy, they will be adopted out.
If you would like more information on adopting a cat or dog from Pinal County's Animal Care and Control, please call the Citizens Contact Center at (520) 509-3555. You can also visit the shelter at 1150 South Eleven Mile Corner Road (west of the Pinal County Fairgrounds); hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:00 am until 5:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am until 2:00 pm.
Animal Care and Control also has pets for adoption on Saturday at the Pet Smart located at the Promenade Mall in Casa Grande from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm.
