The planned rescue of 10 chihuahuas resulted in the recovery of nearly 150 dogs

PARKERSBURG, WV (WTAP/Gray News) – Nearly 150 dogs have been rescued from a home in West Virginia.

The Humane Society of Parkersburg said 146 dogs had been taken from one location late Wednesday night.

Samantha Tannus, the shelter’s manager, said the report came from a neighbor who reported that there were at least 10 Chihuahuas living in the home.

“Our humane officers went there and just by the appearance and the feces that were present, we knew there were probably more than 10 of them,” Tannus said. “We didn’t expect 146.”

The Humane Society said the number of dogs found in the home was extraordinary.

“Things just got out of hand,” chief executive Gary McIntyre said. “The dogs unfortunately weren’t spayed or neutered and because of that they just kept having litters of dogs and then each new litter started having additional litters.”

Volunteer Dreama Alderman said she had never seen a situation like this in her time with the organization.

“I’ve been a volunteer for years, for years, and they’ve had similar incidents, but none like this,” Alderman said. “This is the biggest.”

McIntyre said he is grateful for the community’s support with donations and assistance at the shelter.

“I have to say, the community has been incredibly supportive of everything we’ve done,” McIntyre said. “Yesterday we sent word pretty quickly that we needed metal boxes. We knew that as the number of dogs went up, it seemed like every 30 minutes or so the number went up and up, because at first we thought we were talking about 30 dogs.”

The Parkersburg Police Department was notified of the situation.

The Humane Society of Parkersburg rescues nearly 150 dogs.(Parkersburg Humane Society)

These items are required by the HSOP for newly arrived dogs.(Sheila Florence)

Employees of the humane society are currently taking care of newly arrived dogs at the shelter.

“They’re all here now at the shelter and some are in foster care,” Tannus said. “Now we are just cleaning them, vaccinating them and trimming their nails. That’s what we’re working with.”

Staff said some items are still needed to help with the influx of dogs. For more information about the Humane Society of Parkersburg and to help support their efforts, visit them website.