31 dogs taken from house
Thirty-one Chihuahua type dogs are expected to go up for adoption after they were rescued from a Weymouth home, with authorities saying they’ll make “fantastic pets.”
The dogs were found Jan. 11 living in unsanitary conditions, said Mike DeFina, a spokesman for the Animal Rescue League of Boston, which Weymouth Police and animal control called in to assist.
“Thirty-one animals living inside a house is quite a lot,” DeFina said. “When you have that many animals inside a home, no matter what you do, the conditions are going to be unsanitary.”
One of the dogs needed emergency care and was immediately transferred from the house to a nearby animal hospital. The majority of the others had dental disease and/or heart murmurs that needed to be treated before they could be adopted, he said, so the Animal Rescue League is paying for their care.
The league took 21 of the dogs, DeFina said, and the others went to a Scituate shelter.
The ones the league took are all doing well, he said.
“They’ve adjusted nicely,” DeFina said. “When they were first taken from the home, they were scared because they didn’t know what was happening. But now they’re more relaxed. They’re friendly with the staff and volunteers — all signs they’re going to make fantastic pets.”
Weymouth Police and animal control could not be reached for comment about whether the dogs’ owner was charged.
DeFina urged anyone who knows of an overcrowding situation to contact the local animal control office or ARL Law Enforcement at 617-426-9170, ext. 110.