78 Dogs Rescued From Hoarder’s Home in Mid-Michigan

Several animal rescue shelters have stepped in to help after nearly 80 dogs were rescued from a hoarder's home in Mt. Pleasant.

Sources say all 78 of the dogs are Pomeranians. All of the dogs were living in one house and being taken care of by one woman. It's believed that the situation started out because of a love for this particular breed of animal, but quickly got out of control.

None of the animals had been spayed or neutered, thus compounding the situation.

None of the Animals Had Ever Been Outside

Velvet Lyght is the shelter manager for Big Lake Humane Society, one of the shelters stepping in to rescue some of the animals. She tells WZZM-TV that the dogs' owner never let them outside and all of them are untrained.

“If you've ever had a puppy, or if you've ever had any dog that needs training, or even just a dog that decided you were gone too long and they wanted to poop on your shoes, just imagining that compounded times eighty," Lyght said.

Now There Are More Than 80 Dogs

Zoey Goehring works for the Humane Society of West Michigan, where some of the dogs are sheltered. Goehring tells Fox 17 that moments after the dogs arrived at the shelter, one of them gave birth to four puppies.

"So we have eight, and her puppies were born literally in our care at the shelter. I guess technically, they had over 80, if you count the pregnant belly," Goehring said. "I just sit there up every morning and while she's nursing, I give her back rubs because she's a mom, and you deserve it. She's probably had so many litters, too."

80 Dogs Need Supplies and New Homes

Lyght says that since the woman agreed to surrender the dogs, the shelters are in desperate need of supplies like bleach, laundry soap, and small-breed dog food.

She goes on to say that while they're looking for homes for the dogs, it's going to take owners who understand how to care for dogs that have been neglected.

"It's going to take patience," she said. "They don't have basic training, they're not house trained, and it's going to need that kind of environment and those kinds of people that understand."