Animal control officers seized 39 dogs and two cats from a Liberty Hill home on Thursday night and took them to the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, officials said Friday.
The dogs and cats are being kept in wire crates in the shelter’s intake lobby instead of its kennel runs because the facility is already full, said Misty Valenta, the animal service director.
“What we need are adopters and fosters for animals already in our care. … The medium and large dogs you see on our website need to find a home,” Valenta said on a video she posted from the shelter.
“We have 150 dogs at our shelter, not including these dogs that just came in,” Valenta said. “Think about adopting a dog to your family whether that’s just for spring break or whether that would be permanent.”
The Williamson County sheriff’s office seized the animals due to a “possible animal cruelty situation,” according to a sheriff’s news release. “This was a multi-agency response to the location which led to the successful impoundment of the animals without incident.”
The case is under investigation and no further details were released Friday.
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Here’s how you can help
People can help by filling out a form to foster a dog at bit.ly/3w3KklZ and then coming by the shelter at 1855 SE Inner Loop in Georgetown to pick up the dog. The dogs available for adoption can be viewed at pets.wilco.org.
The dogs that were seized are not yet available for adoption. They are medium-size and include a variety of mixed breeds, shelter spokeswoman April Peiffer said. They also include some pure-bred dogs, but Peiffer said she did not know what breed they are.
“Just on first impression without having made a full assessment, they looked to have been in decent care. Some were kept in the home and also some were kept outdoors, but all were kept in crates,” Peiffer said.
On the video Valenta posted, she comforts the dogs that were seized. “It’s amazing how much these babies just want care and just want a touch,” she said.
Most of the 44 cats from another animal seizure that happened in Round Rock in January have been adopted, said Peiffer.
READ: Thirty-one cats seized from Round Rock home now available for free adoption
The animal shelter is open from noon to 6 p.m. daily. The shelter staff can be contacted at 512-943-3322.