150 Dogs Found Dead In Freezers At Mich. Home

150 Dogs Found Dead In Freezers At Mich. Home
112 Live Dogs Removed From Home


DEARBORN, Mich. -- Police on Friday found about 150 dead dogs packed in freezers in the basement of a Michigan house littered with feces and trash where more than 110 live dogs, mostly Chihuahuas, were rescued this week.

Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad said the 56-year-old man found Wednesday in the suburban Detroit home with the animals may have been living with an increasing number of dogs for up to three or four years.

"The house was in complete disarray, very cluttered and, with 100-plus dogs running around in there, very filthy," he said.

A criminal investigation was under way at the two-story brick home, Haddad said. He said the case could be forwarded to prosecutors for possible animal-cruelty charges.

Haddad said 112 live dogs had been removed from the home as of Friday, and police believe about five more may be hiding inside. He declined to release details about the breed of the dead dogs.

The man living in the house was taken to a local hospital for observation. He had no health insurance and a mental impairment that stemmed from rubella as a child, and had lived for years alone in the home after his parents retired to Florida, said lawyer James G. Schmier, who was acting as a family spokesman.

"I think this is a very human story of a guy who had some very severe mental issues," Schmier said.

Neighbors in the past had complained of an odor at the Dearborn home, which had a neatly cut lawn and manicured bushes. But this week was the first time officials got inside, and crews needed masks to breathe.

Trash was piled from floor to ceiling in places, and feces and urine was throughout the home. Forty-two ailing and feces-covered dogs were rescued Wednesday. Crews returned Thursday and found more than 60 dogs, and about 10 more were rescued Friday, police said.

The smell, noticeable from the street Thursday and Friday, may have been contained previously
were closed and covered.

The rescued dogs were taken to the Dearborn Animal Shelter, where residents brought dog food donations and filled out pet adoption applications. Sandra Boulton, a spokeswoman for the shelter, said the dogs were either Chihuahuas or Chihuahua mixes, and while most had long nails and fleas, they were relatively healthy.

poor guy imagine he spent all of his disability check feeding those dogs chihuahuas are hard to feed they wont eat just anything.
They are prone to diabetes and probably died form self starvation, I have a dog my hsuband bought me for valentines been my nightmare every since as I have to coax that dog daily to nibble food.

This happened in my city, outside of Raleigh.It was all over the news, too. It was terrible. Here the house had to be bulldozed. The urine, feces and decomposing animals had ruined the floors, sheet rock, ceilings. The face masks did not help the odor was so strong. Hopefully these dogs can be socialized and sent to new homes. I sure would hate to think they might be put to sleep after all they have been thru.

how sad

This is a very sad story and it makes me wonder what happened to this man's family. Where were they? This is so incredibly sad for those poor dogs, and that man. He definitely has some serious mental problems.

I feel sorry for folks like that
not retarded enough to get constant surpervision or not mentally ill enough to get constant supervision
not normal enough to live alone ...........so sad.

DebB wrote:I feel sorry for folks like that
not retarded enough to get constant surpervision or not mentally ill enough to get constant supervision
not normal enough to live alone ...........so sad.

Hi, Deb! I completely agree with you. It is very sad.

And you have to wonder how these situations get so horrendous before anyone is aware of it, like their family. We had a local couple that did the same thing, and the house had to be destroyed, dead puppies floating in an old swimming pool. It is very sad. I hope he gets help and all of the dogs get adopted. Deb, I watched a Dog Whisperer episode today about a mixed dog that would starve herself because of her fears, phobias and nerves. I've never seen anything like it.

really piper?
this dog i got him at four months he now weighs two pounds an is almst two
every since I got him I havw to finger feed him and have to literally coax the juice form the meats i feed him as he has been know to even turn down steak, also I have seen him be so thristy his tongue will stick to his mouth and I have to get a syringe and force feed thsi dog water.