MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Multiple abandoned dogs were found in parts of southern Montgomery County over the weekend, according to investigators and pet adoption centers.
Over 20 dogs, including seven adults and 13 puppies were found this weekend and are currently in the care of either Washington Twp.-based SICSA Pet Adoption and Wellness Center or Luv4K9s in Dayton, representatives from both centers told this news outlet.
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Ten of the dogs were located by a custodian at Primary Village South school in Centerville in an enclosed playground, Nora Vondrell, CEO of SICSA told this news outlet. The dogs were left in a box with food and a note indicating the previous owner was no longer able to care for the animals.
The other 13 dogs were located at a PetSmart location near the Dayton Mall Sunday.
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The dogs were described as filthy and in “not great condition,” Vondrell said.
Multiple social media posts from other adoption centers indicate several other abandoned dogs were found across the Centerville and Washington Twp. area. Vondrell said all the dogs, both at SICSA and ones featured in other social media posts, are Yorkshire Terriers or mixes and are in similar conditions.
“We’re not sure how vast or limited this is,” Vondrell told News Center 7’s Katy Anderson. “We're under the belief system that someone who had them, maybe just got a little out of control, and realized (the dogs) were multiplying faster than that person could take care of them.”
“That person is trying to find homes for them but finding homes for them in a way that we don’t recommend,” Vondrell said.
Thank you to all who have reached out about the puppies in our care. They are not yet available for adoption. They will...
Posted by SICSA Pet Adoption and Wellness Center on Monday, February 10, 2020
Abandoning animals is a crime, Vondrell said, and both Centerville police and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office were both contacted about the abandoned dogs.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has launched an investigation into the abandoned dogs, however additional details were not released because the investigation is in the initial stages, a sheriff’s office spokesperson told this news outlet.
The dogs are not yet ready for adoption and are currently in a 72-hour period where they could be reunited with an owner. However, SICSA officials believe the dogs were dumped, and are not lost.
Until then, the dogs will be groomed, spayed or neutered, and checked-on before any adoptions would happen, Vondrell said.
Instead of illegally abandoning animals, Vondrell encouraged people to reach out to the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center, SICSA, or other adoption centers for ways to safely surrender the animals to the facilities.
This news outlet will continue to update this story as new details become available.
