BRADENTON, Fla. — The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said nearly 200 dogs have been rescued from a hoarding situation in Putnam County.
Those dogs have been placed at various shelters or rescues across the state, including Nate's Honor Animal Rescue in Bradenton.
Karissa Mayer, a veterinary technician at Nate's Honor Animal Rescue, said the shelter is caring for more than 50 dogs rescued from the hoarding situation.
The animals range in age from 12 weeks old to senior dogs. Many of the dogs have parasites. They also have ear, eye, and dental issues.
Several dogs have more serious conditions like congestive heart failure or cataracts.
"When you're in a house with 200 other dogs, you're not necessarily socialized to people. You don't know how to walk on a leash. Nobody's taking you for a potty walk," said Mayer.
Katherine Swinkels showed up at Nate's Honor Animal Rescue on Monday. She is fostering some of the recent rescues.
She took home a female dog and her four puppies.
"The opportunity to get to help acclimate them to a normal, better life and make sure they're ready to find their forever families is what it's all about—giving them something better," said Swinkels.
Mayer said the rescue has received an overwhelming amount of calls and emails about the dogs. She said the dogs will not be available for adoption for at least a few more weeks.
"They've come in with basic health issues. They need to get healthier, and they need to be spayed and neutered before they can be adopted," she said.
Mayer encourages people to fill out an application to become a foster parent.
"Right now, the biggest thing that is helpful is fosters and donations, so when we take in a large number of dogs at one time, we don’t intend for them to stay in the shelter forever, but they’re not ready to be adopted yet," she said.
"Every animal deserves a chance, and there's a lot of ways to give that, whether it's opening your home to foster or whether it's being able to donate," said Swinkels.
"There's a million ways to give, and there's even more animals that need our help," she added.
To learn more about how to become a foster parent, visit here.
Nate's Honor Animal Rescue could also use monetary donations or donations from an Amazon wish list. For more information, visit here.
