Bernalillo County Animal Care officers began taking dogs from a home in Tijeras earlier this month, together with days-old puppies. Officials say it’s a textbook hoarding case, however the property proprietor is now going through animal cruelty fees.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Bernalillo County Animal Care officers began taking dogs from a home in Tijeras earlier this month, together with days-old puppies. Officials say it’s a textbook hoarding case, however the property proprietor is now going through animal cruelty fees.
“Sometimes you think there’s 20 dogs, you might think there’s 100 dogs – most times it falls somewhere in between,” mentioned Benjamin Silva, safety enforcement supervisor with Bernalillo County Animal Care.
Silva began engaged on this hoarding and animal cruelty case in Tijeras in July 2021. He says the property proprietor, Douglas Reames, cooperated for a yr.
When he stopped, the BCSO Animal Cruelty Task Force stepped in to assist begin clearing out dogs earlier this month. They additionally charged Reames with excessive cruelty to animals.
Reames is out of jail now – however now not dwelling on the now-condemned property.
“Even though it’s taken a while, we have been successful in getting all of those dogs,” Silva mentioned.
Authorities discovered 60 dogs on the home. Silva says he caught the final of the dogs simply final week, after hours of effort and dozens of visits.
“It’s nice to just help the animals in need that don’t have a voice,” Silva mentioned.
However, they couldn’t save all the dogs.
“There were dogs that were sick, there were dogs that were feral,” Silva mentioned. “Most of the time, you’re gonna see that in large-scale hoarding cases.”
There are 10 at the shelter available for adoption now. 12 extra might be prepared within the coming weeks.
“Everyone is interested in these cases,” Silva mentioned. “They wanna see dogs go to loving homes, they don’t want to see dogs abused.”
Leaders simply hope that curiosity goes so far as a visit to the shelter.
“They’re all adoptable, just like any other litter of puppies that comes through here from any other place in the county,” Silva mentioned.
The Bernalillo County shelter is caring for 94 puppies proper now, which may be very excessive for this time of yr. They’re additionally juggling a scarcity in enforcement – they’ve 5 officers and a supervisor. Fully staffed can be 11 officers. Their door is open to candidates, volunteers, and fosters.
