Dog News

Sixty-Eight Dogs Rescued from House Fire Need New Homes

by Katherine

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Last month, New York’s Animal Care & Control (AC&C) rescued 68 small breed dogs from a hoarder’s house that caught on fire. After medical evaluation and care, the innocent pets are now ready for adoption. Authorities are hoping animal lovers will step forward to offer these dogs new loving forever homes.

One of the 68 dogs ready for adoption.
One of the 68 dogs ready for adoption.

On August 24, a two-story, single-family home in Staten Island caught fire. The owner was a hoarder who collected trash and small dogs. Many of the rescued dogs are Pomeranians, Poodles, Shih Tzu’s, Maltese, and Pekingese. The pets range in ages from young puppies to senior pets.

According to Richard Gentles of Animal Care & Control of NYC, most of the dogs were kept in a yard adjacent to the property. Once the fire was under control, animal control officers removed the pets and took the dogs to a shelter.

“We have a medical team that works overnight here at the Manhattan care center,” Gentles told ABC 7 News. “We wanted to get the dogs evaluated as soon as they came in so that’s why we brought them here to this care center.”

Veterinarians evaluated all animals and determined the pets had no visible signs of neglect or abuse.

Most dogs appeared to be timid and will require some obedience and socialization classes to build up their confidence levels.

“They haven’t been walked on the leash, so they are going to need a little training, some socialization just to get them used to being in a different environment, someone who is just going to love and care for them,” said Gentles.

If you are interested in adopting one of the 68 dogs, please email [email protected]. If you want to help these and other animals in need, you can make a donation to AC&C’s Animal Care Fund.