Workers Race to Rescue Over 200 Dogs from ‘House of Horrors’ Before Winter Storm

This weekend, a major winter storm will sweep through much of the United States, stretching from New England to as far south as Texas. In Mississippi, animal advocates are rallying together to save 200 dogs before the freezing temperatures hit.

The dogs were discovered suffering in a hoarding situation on a rural Mississippi property earlier this week, after the Lee County Sheriff’s Department was contacted on January 5. According to WJTV, officials found that while most of the dogs were in fair physical condition, the living conditions were “unsanitary and unsuitable.” 

Further examinations by the nonprofit Guardians of Rescue, however, revealed that many of the dogs were sick, injured, and malnourished — and also had been victim to constant breeding. 

“This is a horrible case that is absolutely heartbreaking,” Kelly Basham, the critical incident director for Guardians of Rescue, said in a press release to People. “We are on the scene and will be for a week, as we try to sort this out and get all of the animals the care they need. It’s a situation that no animal should ever have to live in, and we want them out as quickly as possible.”

But the upcoming winter storm adds an extra challenge to the already stressful rescue. To assist, the Lee County Sheriff’s office reached out to multiple agencies and rescue organizations from across the country, many of which have chipped in to bring the dogs to safety. This includes New York-based nonprofit Paws of War, which brings rescued pets together with veterans and first responders.

Robert Misseri, co-founder of Paws of War, described the property as a “house of horrors.” He told the Associated Press that the yard was full of feces and the skeletal remains of decomposing dogs.

“It’s rewarding seeing them come off the property for the first time, knowing that they will ultimately wind up on someone’s couch. But to think that they suffered up there for all these years in silence,” Misseri told the AP. 

According to the AP, as of Thursday evening, nine shelters have already taken in around 60 dogs. Paws of War has brought 45 dogs to New York in trucks. Thirteen other rescued dogs have safely arrived at the Northshore Human Society in Covington, Louisiana, which is more than 300 miles away from the Mississippi property.

“A lot of these dogs have scars on their faces, which is evidence that they were probably sparring with the other dogs for food,” Scott Bernier, Northshore Humane Society’s CEO, told the Associated Press. “So it’s a bad condition. Not something we ever like to see.” 

The rescue organizations must rally to find shelter for the remaining dogs before the storm hits. The Paws of War team will be working overnight. They’re also still looking for several skittish dogs who ran off when the authorities arrived. Misseri insisted to the AP that he won’t allow the dogs to be outside during the bitter winter storm. 

While rescues and organizations from all across the country have pitched in to help, the organizers are desperate for more volunteers and donations. “It obviously takes everyone in the community to help, even out-of-state rescues, so volunteers to foster, if they can, would be great,” Dena Stanford of the Tupelo Lee Humane Society told WCBI. 

The rescues are also working together to purchase dog food, collars, leashes, and other products needed to care for the rescues and maintain the facilities.

You can donate to Guardians of Rescue, Paws of War, the Northshore Humane Society, and the Tupelo Lee Humane Society on their respective websites. For more ways to help, the North Mississippi Animal Control welcomes calls at (662) 871-0506.