33 of 49 dogs rescued from a San Antonio home were euthanized Thursday afternoon, officials with Animal Care services confirmed.
The dogs were taken to ACS Tuesday after they were found in a home on Old Sky Harbor in southwest San Antonio covered in feces and urine.
Lisa Norwood, a spokesperson with ACS, said officials are working on finding a home for 16 of the Shepard-chow mixes. “Since we knew they were coming in, we’ve been working on finding something for them, some sort of placement,” she said.
Norwood said Thursday finding space for nearly 50 dogs in one day was a challenge. “Every day is a struggle, to be honest,” she said. “To come up with that extra kennel, that extra day, resource.”
Animal rights activists and people who were prepared to rescue the dogs took to social media, enraged, claiming they weren’t given enough time or notice to help the dogs.
If you are interested in adopting these dogs, or any of the animals at the shelter, click here.
UPDATE, 6:30 p.m.: ACS has responded to the story, saying:
"After multiple assessments by the ACS behavioral, veterinary and placement teams, five of the dogs were identified as potential candidates for rehabilitation. This afternoon, ACS partner San Antonio Pets Alive agreed to take responsibility for 11 additional dogs. Due to public and staff safety concerns, the unlikelihood of finding placement for feral animals as well as increasing placement opportunities for adoptable animals, a total of 33 of the remaining dogs were humanely euthanized today."
The statement also mentioned that the dogs were unsocialized, matted and soaked from their own waste. The floors and interior walls of the home were heavily damaged and soiled with feces and standing pools of dog urine. ACS says they take cases like this very seriously and their investigative team continues to build a criminal case.
"Animal Care Services works very hard to maintain our 90 percent plus live release rate," Norwood said. "In fact, the shelter currently has a 93 percent placement rate and ordering euthanasia is the hardest decision we make. But it is a decision that our shelter staff must make when needed. San Antonio is lucky when it comes to available resources for owners: spay/neuter, vaccinations, even a large number of shelters and rescues that can provide advice and guidance. Unfortunately, too many times tough decisions have to be made because someone else decided not to do right by their dogs."