Planned rescue of 10 Chihuahuas leads to recovery of nearly 150 dogs

PARKERSBURG, West Virginia ((VTAP/Gray News) – About 150 dogs were rescued from a home in West Virginia.

The Parkersburg Humane Society reported that 146 dogs were found at one location late Wednesday.

Samantha Tannous, manager of the shelter, said they received a tip from a housemate who told them there were at least 10 Chihuahuas in the house.

“Our humane officers went there and just from the appearance and the feces we realized there were probably more than 10 of them,” Tannous said. “We didn’t expect 146.”

The humane society said the number of dogs found in the home was overwhelming.

“It just got out of control,” said chief executive Gary McIntyre. “The dogs, unfortunately, were not spayed or neutered, and because of this, they just kept having litters of dogs, and then each new litter started having additional litters.”

Volunteer Dreama Alderman said she has never encountered a situation like this since she has worked for the organization.

“I’ve been a volunteer for many years, many years, and they’ve had similar cases, but nothing like this,” Alderman said. “This is the biggest one.”

McIntyre said he is grateful for the community’s support in the form of donations and assistance to the shelter.

“I have to say the community has been extremely supportive of everything we’ve done,” McIntyre said. “Yesterday we sent out a message pretty quickly that we needed metal boxes. We knew that as the number of dogs increased, it seemed like every 30 minutes or so that number was getting higher and higher because initially we thought we were talking about 30 dogs.”

The Parkersburg Police Department has been notified of the situation.

The Parkersburg Humane Society rescues about 150 dogs.(Parkersburg Humane Society)

These items are required by HSOP for newly arrived dogs.(Sheila Florence)

Humane Society staff are now caring for newly arrived dogs at the shelter.

“They’re all here at the shelter now, and some are in foster care,” Tannous said. “Now we are just cleaning them, vaccinating them and cutting their nails. That’s what we’re working on.”

Some items are still needed to help with the influx of dogs, staff said. For more information about the Parkersburg Humane Society and to help support their efforts, visit them website.