TAMPA, Fla. - The Humane Society of Tampa Bay rescued close to two dozen dogs from a hoarding situation in Hillsborough County.
"It's just a line up of cages, all the dogs are just living in these cages," said Maria Matlack, Marketing and Public Relations Manager for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
Video shows Humane Society employees wearing protective gear and pulling 21 dogs from the backyard of a house.
Shelter officials believe the animals lived outside in cages.
The Humane Society rescued the animals after being contacted by a law enforcement agency. Shelter officials said the case is still under investigation so they cannot release many details.
"When our team arrived, it was very disturbing. There was fecal matter everywhere. The smell was horrendous. There was trash," said Matlack.
The dogs were Cocker Spaniel and Beagle mixes. Their ages ranged from six months to five years old. Some of the dogs needed medical treatment. Others had fleas and skin issues.
"It looks like someone got in over their head and wasn't able to care for all the dogs she took on," said Matlack.
Matlack said a woman is facing animal neglect charges but officials have not released her name.
Several of the dogs have been adopted. Others will be available for adoption soon after the dogs are spayed or neutered.
"We're extremely grateful and lucky these dogs seem friendly," said Matlack.
"We would like to send out a plea to the community that if they do see animals being mistreated or neglected to please reach out to the Pet Resource Center. This is where you can report such incidents. It just breaks our heart to see animals being mistreated," said Matlack.
To see the animals available for adoption visit the shelter's website.
