More than 550 animals found in ‘deplorable’ conditions rescued

Las Vegas police and Clark County officials confiscated more than 550 animals from a northeast valley home Sunday after the animals were found living in “deplorable” conditions, police said.

Authorities recovered 13 horses, 150 hens and roosters, 400 pigeons, two guinea pigs and four turtles from a home on the 2700 block of North Gateway Road, near Lamb Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue, Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Grant Rogers said.

Police were called about 8:20 a.m. to North Gateway Road after an unattended horse was discovered walking around the neighborhood, Rogers said. Clark County Animal Control officials loaded the horse on a trailer, he said.

The horse’s owner then contacted animal control, Rogers said.

When animal control officials went to the owner’s home, they found several horses and roosters living in “deplorable” conditions, Rogers said. Metro’s animal abuse team then responded to the home.

Red Rock Search and Res

ANIMALS

cue officials were also at the home helping to load animals on trucks Sunday afternoon.

Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa said Metro was the lead investigative agency and referred all questions to the Police Department.

Charges for the homeowner are pending, Rogers said.

The raid comes nearly two months after a Nov. 30 incident in which 164 Pomeranians were recovered from the back of a box truck in Sandy Valley, located about 50 miles southwest of Las Vegas.

Animal control officials assisted Metro with the recovery of the dogs,

which had been left without food, water or ventilation, Animal Foundation officials said.

The Animal Foundation later partnered with the Vegas Golden Knights in an effort to find good homes for many of the dogs.

Some of the dogs were adopted through a promotion with the Golden Knights, and the others were adopted through an online lottery.

In August 2016, investigators recovered about 550 hens and roosters from a Las Vegas home in what was described at the time as the largest animal fighting ring breakup in state history.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.