OGDEN, Utah — After more than 150 dogs and cats were rescued from a house in Ogden, neighbors nearby are still in shock.
“So, my dogs were going crazy, so I was looking out my door to see what they were barking at,” explained Melissa Deppe.
When Deppe had two stray dogs show up at her house on Tuesday, she and her neighbor went for a walk in hopes of finding their owners: "We just decided to go see if we could find the owners for these two dogs."
Both Deppe and her neighbor, Lisa Peterson, also rescue dogs.
"We stumbled upon over on the 31st block of Jefferson, stumbled upon two animal control trucks and some law enforcement presence,” said Peterson.
They saw law enforcement bringing several animals out of a house.
"The un-sugarcoated version of what I felt was disgust and fear," Peterson shared, "and my heart was broken."
Ogden Police said animal services found 152 dogs "living in extremely poor and overcrowded conditions." Because of the number of dogs involved, animal services agencies from Weber and Roy counties, as well as Draper, were called to assist in removing the animals from the property.
Deppe and Peterson are concerned because the animal groups they know of already have their hands full.
"We don’t have the capacity, we don’t have adopters, we don’t have foster care,” said Peterson.
All the dogs are currently receiving care and evaluation. Once they complete any needed medical treatment, the dogs will be available for adoption, which is expected no sooner than April 21.
Ogden Police are still investigating the case.
Anyone interested in adopting a dog rescued from the Ogden home should monitor the Weber County Animal Services website for information.
