Shih-Tzu Hoarding Case Anderson IN

At 4:00 pm yesterday, we received a call from the Madison County Sheriff's office asking for our help with a hoarding case in Alexandria, IN. We never know what to expect when we get these calls, but always try to prepare for the worst.  Nothing could have prepared us for what we found.

There were 18 Shih-Tzus and Shih-Tzu/Terrier mixes in a tiny, feces filled home. You could smell the ammonia from the driveway.  In fact, 2 Sheriff's deputies had to seek medical attention for ammonia exposure.  Thankfully the overwhelmed owner voluntarily surrendered all 18 dogs to us, and that's where the hard work came in.

Not the "hard work" of transporting them to the shelter, or filling out the paperwork required for each one.  Or even the hard work of bathing the ones covered in fleas or mange, or doing our best to shave off the endless mats they all seemed to have.  The hard work my team and I encountered was knowing that the best thing for one of the dogs was to end their suffering.  He was paralyzed in his back end, and had zero skin covering his tail and back legs.  The urine burns and pressure sores from years of being immobile were some of the worst we've ever seen.  One sore on his leg had been wrapped in duct tape.  

While I watched my amazing staff and a small group of dedicated volunteers work feverishly to give each and every dog love and attention, the "hard work" I couldn't help but worry about was how we were going to pay for all of it.  The cost of spaying and neutering, vaccinating, treating the mange, fleas, and any other underlying medical conditions is going to be expensive.  At about $250 per dog, we're looking at over $4,000 for their basic veterinary care.  This is where you come in.

We all get frustrated and don't understand how someone could allow living things to get this way.  But someone did...and now we must focus on their lives from this point forward.  Our hope is that once they are all healthy, all 17 will be ready to be adopted.  Will you help us get them there?

www.inapl.org