Eighty-one dogs were pulled from a single Kansas City, Kansas home this week after conditions inside became so severe that animal control officers called for emergency backup. The dogs were found in poor conditions, with fur matted and caked in their own urine and feces, and had reportedly never been outside before rescuers arrived.
The rescue involved 81 dogs. As reported by KMBC, animal control officers called for backup once they saw the severity of the situation inside the home.
Volunteer rescuer Sara Burdick, who is now fostering a family of three of the dogs she named Mama Ashley, Jennifer, and Morgan, told KMBC the smell of feces and urine was overwhelming and called it the worst thing she had ever seen. In a separate Facebook post, Burdick documented the conditions inside the home, with the dogs showing the effects of those conditions by the time they were removed.
Conditions Inside the Home
The search also underscored the severity of the conditions inside the home. No further details were available.
The sheer number of animals strained a city agency. Regional rescue groups mobilized within days. The Kansas City Kansas Animal Services Shelter was involved in the response.
Regional Rescues Split the Load
Great Plains SPCA took in seven of the dogs, Melissa's Second Chances also participated in the response, and Heart of America Humane Society placed five dogs directly into foster homes, according to statements from the partner organizations posted to Facebook. Great Plains SPCA also sent volunteers to help with the rescue itself, per KMBC. Pawsitive Tails Dog Rescue provided volunteers as well and is now collecting donations to help cover the dogs' care.
Community donations are expected to help get the dogs healthy, spayed, neutered, and vetted, KMBC reports. Both Kansas City Animal Services and Great Plains SPCA are accepting donations, and the city agency is also taking applications from people interested in fostering. KMBC notes the rescued dogs are now on the road to recovery.
Investigation Open, No Arrests Yet
The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department has launched an investigation into the case, and the owner was in custody on outstanding warrants as of publication, according to KMBC's reporting. Any potential charges would fall under Kansas Statutes Annotated § 21-6412, which addresses failing to provide necessary food, water, protection, exercise, or medical care to an animal and classifies it as a Class A nonperson misdemeanor for a first offense, per the Animal Legal & Historical Center. State law elevates the offense to a nonperson felony on a second or subsequent conviction, the same source notes. Whether prosecutors pursue charges at all, and at what level, remains an open question tied to the ongoing police investigation.
The large number of dogs in one household offers context for the scale of the case.
This is not the first time this year that Kansas City-area rescuers have absorbed a large-scale neglect case. In February, regional responders from the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City helped take in more than 60 dogs and puppies seized from filthy, ammonia-filled conditions at a home in Ballinger, Texas, a case Hoodline previously reported. Five malnourished greyhounds rescued from Oklahoma also arrived in the Kansas City area.
