A homeless family was found living in a makeshift Arizona campground with 150 dogs that were well cared for, according to officials.
The bizarre hoarding was spotted last week near US-60 near the town of Surprise.
Elli Smith, founder of Sky Sanctuary Rescue in Phoenix, received a call last week about an emergency in the Northwest Valley. A family living on land in desert China was forced to leave with 150 dogs in need of help for their animals.
“Honestly, the whole situation is tragic,” Smith said. “Not only for animals, but also for people.”
The dogs and their owners have been there for nearly a year, enduring scorching heat and monsoon storms. However, when the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and Animal Rescue arrived, the dogs, surprisingly, appeared to be doing just fine.
“It was extremely surprising,” said Caitlin Beall, director of Sky Sanctuary Rescue. “When we arrived on scene, everybody was well-fed, everybody happy, everybody socialized. Typically, you have very scared animals, and that just wasn’t the case, and that was a testament to how much these people cared.”
Sky Sanctuary Rescue took in 55 dogs for necessary medical care before planning to adopt them all. The number of dogs arriving was about five times as many as rescues usually brought immediately.
The sheriff’s office also adopted the remaining animals from the desert.
“That day was hard, but this is where the real work starts,” Smith said. “Now, we have to get vetting for the animals, find fosters for all the animals. We have to have supplies to take care of all these animals until they get homes. We need to find adopters and need volunteers to care and spend time with them.”
Many dogs need medical attention, but there’s nothing stopping them from finding a permanent home, the shelter says.
A sheriff’s spokesman said the families who owned the dogs would not be prosecuted, and they had reportedly found new homes. The hope now is that their dogs will do the same.
Officials did not provide further details about the family or what brought them into this situation.
“We’re seeing people ignore animals that have all the resources in the world,” Smith said. “It’s heartbreaking to see people caring for these animals with nothing.”
This family eliminated all excuses about abandoning or neglecting a dog. Poor and homeless living in harsh nature and barren desert, and with all that they take care of 150 dogs. Really, their story should reach everyone who thinks about giving up his dog just because he doesn’t have enough time or money, or even because he has moved to another house, all of which are not enough excuses.
For more information on how to help dogs, visit:
- Donations: Skysanctuaryrescue.org/donate
- Adopt or foster: skysanctuaryrescue.org/applications
- Website: skysanctuaryrescue.org
- Social media: @skysanctuaryrescue
