HSMO’s Animal Cruelty Task Force Rescues 63 Dogs, Mostly Yorkies, from Franklin County Hoarder in Largest Rescue of 2023

On June 8, 2023, the Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Task Force recovered 63 dogs, mostly Yorkshire Terriers, Yorkie mixes, and other smaller breeds, from the home of a hoarder in Franklin County. The owner agreed to surrender custody of the animals while ACT was onsite, and the rescued dogs are currently en route to HSMO’s Macklind Ave. headquarters in St. Louis City for triage. This is ACT’s largest rescue of the year so far.

The home had serious structural decay with a sloping and sagging floor and unsanitary amounts of animal waste, posing great risk to the safety and health of the animals housed within. The recovered dogs vary greatly in age, condition, and medical challenges, many of them are unsocialized and appear to have never seen a vet. All the recovered dogs are frightened, filthy, and show signs of being infested with parasites.

The animals will receive triage upon their arrival at the shelter this afternoon, where necessary medications, dental work, diet, and other lifesaving treatment plans will begin immediately.

“To see so many dogs living in these horrible conditions is just devastating,” said HSMO President Kathy Warnick. “Rest assured that our compassionate shelter staff, veterinarians, and animal behavior experts will ensure these poor pups are given state-of-the-art veterinary treatment and shown a level of love and care that they have never experienced before.”

HSMO expects to make the dogs available for adoption after they have been given a clean bill of health by our veterinarians and evaluated by our animal behavior team. As each dog recovers, medically and behaviorally, they will be made available for adoption on a case-by-case basis. No timeline is currently available for when these dogs will be ready for their forever home, but interested adopters will be able to keep an eye on our website, hsmo.org/adopt to see when they become available.

To help support the care of these dogs, please visit HSMO.org/yorkies.

To report an animal who may be in danger, or is suffering from neglect or abuse, please call your local police and the Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Hotline at 314.647.4400.