Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/164-dogs-rescued-japan/

Authorities in Japan have rescued 164 dogs from a small home, which is being called one of the worst cases of animal hoarding according to animal rights activists. The rescue of the very thin, very sick dogs occurred in the Japanese city of Izumo.

As Reuters reported, the animal rights group, Dobutsukikin, shared that the discovery of the emaciated dogs was made when neighbors made complaints.

What they found inside the 323 square foot home was nothing short of horrifying, as the pictures showed dogs stuffed on top of one another, crowded on shelving units and beneath tables and chairs.

The head of Dobutsukikin, Kunihisa Sagami, shared with Reuters that the floor had no open space sit and was covered by the animals. Sagami added that the floor was filled with dog feces. But this wasn’t the first time that there were public health workers to the home after neighbors filed complaints about noise and a foul stench.

Seven years prior, authorities had paid the house, however, they were unable to gain access to the interior as the owner refused them entrance.

The three people living at the property informed authorities that they had been unable to afford spaying and neutering services for their dogs which is why the numbers got out of hand. The dogs’ owners then agreed to surrender the animals to Dobutsukikin, who will be extending medical care to all the dogs before rehoming them.

Sadly, this isn’t the only case of animal hoarding seen around the world. In Spain, an animal charity became involved in the rescue of 124 cats from a single house when the owner was evicted.

The animal shelter, SPAMA Safor in Valencia, had originally believed that there were 96 cats to be rescued, but once they got there, they realized it was actually 124 cats.

SPAMA Safor then had to vaccinate and neuter all of the cats, as well as re-home them all. All the felines had been abandoned following the eviction of the owner. One of the employees, Salvadora Tormas, shared with AFP, according to The Guardian, that the owner had previous adopted a pair of cats three years ago, and that ended up spawning a hoard of cats.

As SPAMA Safor shared about the incident, the felines “haven’t seen sunshine and haven’t received any veterinary care, or deworming since they were born, even though they haven’t been hungry.”

Hopefully hoarding incidents like these will eventually become a thing of the past, as all animals deserve to live in a loving space with adequate care. It’s events like these that definitely put an emphasis on the importance of spaying and neutering your pets.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog