Nearly 40 dogs in cages rescued from Texas property; water bowls frozen over

TYLER, Texas (Gray News) – Nearly 40 dogs were rescued from an alleged neglect situation on a property in Texas.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) said the dogs were found Jan. 21 in chain-link kennels with their water bowls frozen over. The HSUS described the living conditions as “hazardous,” with corrugated metal collapsing into some of the cages.

Local authorities discovered the dogs while serving a search and seizure warrant at the home. The dogs were surrendered by the suspect. It’s unclear if anyone is facing charges.

The HSUS said some of the dogs appeared to be fearful, while others were eager for attention and excited to greet the rescuers.

The dogs were taken to a temporary shelter at an undisclosed location to be examined by veterinarians and receive care.

Smith County Pct. 4 Constable Josh Joplin said this has been an ongoing investigation for the past three weeks. He said the property owner told him they had tried to form a rescue, but it got out of control.

“I believe that those rescue efforts kind of became more of a hobby than it was a rescue, and it went from a hobby to a hoarder situation,” Joplin told KLTV. “I think they just kind of got in over their head and didn’t know who to ask for for help.”

The HSUS said 10 dogs were rescued from the same property earlier this month.

All the dogs will eventually be available for adoption after their immediate needs are addressed.

Tyler is a city about 100 miles east of Dallas.

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