Las Vegas neighborhoods were thrown into disarray on Tuesday when over 30 dogs were found running loose in the northwest valley. A residence, overflowing with a pack of canines, caught the attention of local authorities after a reported 20 dogs were spotted scampering in the front yard, according to a statement given by the City of Las Vegas to FOX5 Vegas. Witnesses initially couldn't confirm if the homeowner was present due to the open front door.
Municipal police and Animal Protection Services responded to the escalating situation, described by Lt. P. Heldt of the Metropolitan Police Department in a text as an incident where "20 dogs running free within the residence" necessitated police aid to take custody of the animals, as noted by The Las Vegas Review-Journal. The combined effort of officers and neighbors was able to secure 19 dogs at first, before confirming that a total of 35 dogs were actually within the residence.
All retrieved dogs, as per Kelsey Pizzi, spokeswoman for The Animal Foundation, were taken into the care of the organization. The city spokesperson shared that the homeowner has been cited for two misdemeanors, juxtaposed against the backdrop of an investigation by the city into the matter. The citations involve the overwhelming number of dogs in the residence and severe sanitation concerns raised by the Animal Protection Services officers once they discovered the "poor condition with an extreme amount of feces and urine build-up," reported FOX5 Vegas.
In a follow-up, it was revealed by the city spokesperson that neighbors had not seen the homeowner for over a week, and upon contacting the owner, she relayed to authorities that her absence from the house was due to ongoing repairs and she had been visiting daily to attend to the feeding and watering of the dogs. As part of the response, multiple officers from the City of Las Vegas Animal Protection Services had been dispatched to the area of Lombard Drive and Caviar Drive on reports of the loose dogs, city spokesman Jace Radke confirmed in an email shared with The Las Vegas Review-Journal.
