On Friday, July 31, Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary rescued 181 Chihuahua’s from a hoarding situation in Butts County. Other nearby rescue organizations were contacted regarding the situation and rescued 30 dogs that Friday, prior to the arrival of Noah’s Ark. 

  A press release from the Sanctuary released on Tuesday, August 4 stated that the dogs were discovered “covered in fleas but well nourished.”

  “This is one of the most deplorable cases of animal hoarding I have seen. The dogs were everywhere, literally coming out of the kitchen cabinets and mattresses,” said Jama Hedgecoth, Founder and Director of Noah’s Ark. 

  In partnership with local officials and law enforcement, Noah’s Ark staff members and volunteers were able to remove the remainder of the dogs from their previous location and relocate them to the Sanctuary.

  This was the largest canine rescue that Noah’s Ark has ever undertaken, stated Allison Hedgecoth, Animal Husbandry Manager at Noah’s Ark.

  Once at Noah’s Ark, the dogs were “assessed for medical treatment and provided with food, water, and shelter.”

  The dogs have been broken down into smaller groups and are currently in quarantine and being treated for fleas, dewormed, spayed or neutered, and vaccinated. 

   Of the females in the group of rescued dogs, Allison estimated that most of them are pregnant. 

  A number of the females gave birth this past week, increasing the number of dogs rescued by the Sanctuary to over 190, as of Monday, August 10. 

  The dogs were rescued in good shape, however, they have “had no human socialization” and will need to be stable prior to entering foster environments and being ready for permanent adoption.

  The staff at Noah’s Ark is currently working to build more enclosures for the dogs to assist in the socialization process. 

  “This is so the dogs can be housed in smaller groups of two to five individuals, which will dramatically help with socialization,” said Allison.

  Allison stated that the dogs are all doing well in their new environment and are beginning to show their unique personalities. 

  “They’re just so fun. They’re so full of joy,” said Allison. “They don’t reflect on the past and sulk about where they have been. They are excited about where they are now and where they will go.”

  Within a week of placing an adoption application for the dogs on their website, Noah’s Ark received hundreds of applications.

  “It’s amazing, it makes it all worthwhile. We were shocked at the amount of adoption applications that came in. People love these guys,” said Allison. “But, for now, we aren’t accepting any more applications. We still lave a long way to go before they can be adopted.”

  The dogs are expected to be available for adoption by this November, however, the Sanctuary still has much to do in preparing the dogs for their ‘fur-ever’ homes.

  “We are taking things day by day. We need to get them spayed and neutered, healthy, socialized and we have to do behavioral evaluations on each dog. So it’s going to be a while and we just thank the public for being patient with us,” said Allison.

  With a rescue of this size, Noah’s Ark emphasized that donations are needed in order to provide for the many needs of the dogs and to prepare them for adoption.

  “If people want to help, in order for us to get the dogs to the next step to get to their forever homes, the enclosures cost money, the vaccines cost money, the food costs money,” said Allison. “We are really pushing for them to go to our website and donate if they can. We’re also going to be adding some items to our Amazon wishlist.”

  To donate towards the care of a dog, see the following listed amounts: 

•   $25 provides weekly food, shelter and a new toy for five dogs
•   $50 provides a new dog bed, food bowl, leash and collar
•   $150 provides vaccines and preventative flea treatment for one dog
•   $250 provides an igloo dog house, vaccine, toys and enrichment items
•   $500 “Chihuahua Hero” provides a dog bed, leash, collar, vaccines, and covers spay/neuter costs

  Allison expressed that the staff at Noah’s Ark are all thankful for the support shown by the community during this time.

  “Thank you to the public. We are overwhelmed with gratitude. All of the support, we’ve really been feeling it. We really do read all of the emails and comments on social media,” said Allison. “It’s really heartwarming and inspiring.”

  Noah’s Ark will continue to post updates regarding the dogs on their social media accounts. 

  The Times spoke with Major Jeff Nix of the Butt’s County Sheriff’s Office who confirmed that the dogs were voluntarily surrendered and stated that there are no pending charges against the previous owners of the dogs. 

  If you are interested in fostering a dog or in making a donation, contact Noah’s Ark at 770-957-0888 or visit www.noahs-ark.org.