Nearly 100 Dogs Rescued From Fayette County Home, Several Found Dead
UNIONTOWN, Pa. (KDKA) -- Nearly 100 dogs were rescued from a home in Fayette County.
Cross Your Paws Rescue says 99 dogs were rescued from a hoarding situation in Uniontown on Monday. The dogs are now being taken care of by the rescue organization.
"After a full day of respirators and assistance from authorities, we have all of the dogs out of this hell they had been living in for far too long," Cross Your Paws Rescue said in a Facebook post.
Neighbors alerted authorities to the home on Coffee Street because of the odor and the intense barking.
Cross Your Paws' rescue workers had to wear full-body protective gear to go near the home because the odor was unbearable. Crews were only able to stay inside 10 minutes at a time.
Authorities say a mother and her son were hoarding the dogs and tried smuggling some of the pups out of the house by putting them inside a sheet.
Sadly, some Chihuahua pups were found dead. The vast majority of the dogs were malnourished and scared.
Cross Your Paws said one of the most heartbreaking moments came when crews discovered mother dogs in the house in the middle of giving birth.
"When we were finally allowed into the house, I opened the door and there were three puppies being born right when I was walking in. One still had the umbilical cord attached. I instantly started tearing up. It was so hard to see," said Julie Cole with Cross Your Paws.
Cross Your Paws made sure those puppies were placed back in the care of their mothers for their milk and nurturing.
"Once we finally got them back to the kennel where they are being boarded, we looked for the mamas with milk and we found them. We have five litters of puppies today," Cole said.
The home was quickly condemned by Uniontown code enforcement.
Cross Your Paws is now looking for donations and foster homes. You can learn more here.
