97 dogs and one tortoise rescued from hoarding situation in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — 97 dogs and one tortoise have been rescued from a hoarding situation in Salt Lake City’s Avenues.

After receiving an email from a viewer last weekend about the situation, action was taken to remove the dogs and tortoise from the home. Salt Lake County Animal Services was running low on space, and now, nearly 40 of the dogs are at the Humane Society of Utah.

“This has obviously been going on for a long time because we have dogs like Sugar House who are clearly seniors,” said the Director of Pet Resource Center Operations, Juli Ulvestad.

The majority of the nearly 100 dogs appeared to be chihuahuas, but Ulvestad shared that they are all different ages. She noted one dog in particular — Sugar House — is around 13 or 14 years old. Ulvestad said that he is obviously a chihuahua, and she already has a special place in her heart for him.

“I am really surprised by the overall sociability of this group. They are really resilient little guys,” said Ulvestad.

Ulvestad also reminded neighbors and animal lovers that while they may feel angry about the dog’s conditions, she hopes that they show some understanding.

“Your first response is usually to get angry. When you hear about 100 dogs living in a small house, you’re angry for the dog, certainly for the neighbors who are putting up with it. I just want to ask for some compassion for the people who are involved in this,” Ulvestad shared.

The shelter said that once they have more space, they will continue to take in more of the rescued dogs from Salt Lake County Animal Services.

If you’re interested in fostering or adopting one of these dogs, contact the Humane Society of Utah or Salt Lake County Animal Services.

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