ESBON, Kan. (KCTV/Gray News) – Dozens of dogs were rescued from “unimaginable conditions,” as more were found deceased on a property in rural Kansas.
The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City stepped in to help on Wednesday, making the drive to the town of Ebson, Kansas in Jewell County.
The local sheriff said several animal welfare agencies responded to take 49 dogs off the property. Investigators at the scene said they also found other dogs already dead.
Humane Society of Kansas City CEO Sydney Mollentine called the conditions in the small home deplorable.
“We had to walk through two to three feet of debris, debris of all kinds,” she said.
The house was so filthy and dilapidated that she said it will be condemned. She said she saw no fresh water anywhere on the property.
Jewell County Sheriff Don Jacobs said the matter was still an active investigation and was unclear about whether any criminal charges had been filed yet against the man living at the home.
FROM HOARDING TO HEALING
Mollentine and her staff walked through the doors of their shelter in KCK Wednesday evening after a four-hour drive in each direction with dog carriers in hand.
She gently removed a puppy from the carrier and opened a can of wet food. The malnourished waif ate enthusiastically as she examined her injuries. There was a deep laceration, nearly two inches long.
Another puppy had fleas visibly leaping about its fur and a red abscess which she said likely came from a dog bite that had become infected.
Many of the dogs seemed pockmarked with tiny spots. Mollentine said they were dog bites that had already healed. She said she believed some dogs were turning on the others due to lack of resources like food and water.
“And then they turn to what they know to do to survive, which is attacking the other dogs,” Mollentine said.
Some of the dogs were malnourished while others appeared healthy, she said. Two of the ten brought back on Wednesday will likely need surgery.
She said some of the healthy and sociable dogs will be adoptable within a few weeks. Others will need foster homes.
“Some of them are going to have a little bit of a journey to learn what it’s like to be a dog, to learn what it’s like to be loved and cared for,” Mollentine said.
She is eager to hear from anyone interested in fostering.
The other thing needed is financial support. Mollentine said it typically costs about $300 per dog to prepare them for adoption with spay or neuter services and vaccinations. In this case, that’s for 30 dogs at once.
“That can be a very big financial burden. Worth it. 100% worth it,” Mollentine said. “But we really are urging the community to rally around us and these dogs so that we can continue doing this life-saving work.”
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