55 Dogs Removed From Indiana Home
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 12, 2012 8:00PM
It seems as though responsible pet ownership has been a recurring theme here the past two weeks. Add this news story out of Chesterton, IN to the ledger. Porter County Sheriff's officials, acting on a search warrant, removed 55 dogs from a home in what they say is one of the worst cases of animal hoarding they've ever seen.
The search warrant was obtained after the Health Department received numerous complaints from neighbors about the home, the number of dogs on the property, and fears that waste from the dogs could be contaminating their drinking water. Sheriff's deputies and animal control officials found dogs drinking water contaminated with urine and feces. Dogs were also attacking each other and a deputy and animal control officer were also bitten while removing the dogs.
The dogs' owner, Donna Montoya, admits that taking care of the dogs has become "a 24-hour job" but insists she thought she was doing the right thing by taking them in. Montoya faces multiple counts of cruelty to animals, and could face more charges because of the dog bites. Last week, Montoya surrendered seven puppies that were later found to be flea-infested and carrying parvovirus. Porter County Sheriff's deputies and animal control officials have visited her property three times since November.