Crime & Safety
Dogs Seized in Hoarding Case Getting Help in Clearwater
Some of the 260 animals being pulled from a animal hoarding case in Sarasota County are getting help in Gulfport. Volunteers say they need your help to find good homes.
VIP Rescue, based in Clearwater, has rescued nearly two dozens dogs from an animal hoarding case in Venice.
For the last two days, Sarasota County Animal Services have pulled out dog after dog in chicken coops and have weighed, examined and catalogued them, said Wendy Rose, spokeswoman for the
Terri Ensign, with VIP Rescue, transported 13 dogs from Sarasota County Friday.
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"The vet bills are going to be outrageous," Ensign said. "Every dog will have a bill. They have ear infections and eye infections."
Ensign says the next step is getting the animals cleaned up and into foster homes. Mary O'Malley with is helping with that. On Thursday, she groomed six dogs free of charge to help them find foster homes.
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"Some of them acted as though they'd never been touched," O'Malley said.
Volunteers say they need donations and foster homes. For more information contact VIP Rescue at (407) 504-8318 or find them on Facebook.
Correction: An earlier version of the story included an incorrect number of dogs.
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