Nearly 100 Dogs Were Rescued from an Over-Crowded Home in Louisiana

Animal hoarding situations — situations when people accumulate pets to the detriment of their and the pets’ well-being — are troublingly common. According to the Animal Humane Society, a quarter million animals are victims of hoarding each year — and while it often isn’t malicious, these pets are in desperate need of help finding safe homes. One animal shelter in New Orleans, Louisiana leapt into action last week to save over 100 animals from a dangerously overcrowded property. 

On Thursday, Michelle Cheramie, the founder of Zeus’ Rescues in New Orleans, came across information that sent her into immediate action. “I just got a text about 80 dogs located about an hour from New Orleans that are in need of rescue,” Zeus’ Rescues posted on Instagram. “I am going out in the morning to save as many as I can. It is going to flood in that area tomorrow and I want to take out as many as I can before that happens.” 

The text came from a friend of Cheramie who knew the home-owners were in need of help finding care for the dogs. When Cheramie arrived along with her coworker Sydney deVictoria-Michel, the pair found more pups than they expected, reported The New Orleans Advocate (NOLA). There were over 100 small dogs present. Forty were crowded in outdoor spaces, covered in mud and flees. 

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The dogs were well-fed but none had seen a veterinarian; some require deworming. deVictoria-Michel told NOLA that the guardians seemed to have rescued dogs from the street before they had litters. They stressed that these circumstances highlight the necessity of spaying and neutering. “[The owners] certainly were doing the best they could,” Cheramie told NOLA.

In under two hours, Cheramie and Devictoria-Michel saved 61 dogs. Local and national shelters, including Take Paws, Metairie Humane, Animal Rescue New Orleans, Trampled Rose, and Animal Rescue Corps, helped take in some of the pups. “The parish is working on getting the remaining 40ish dogs on the property. We are on standby, ready to get any that are left,” Zeus’ Rescues shared on Instagram. 

All the dogs are set to receive three rounds of vaccines, spay/neuter surgeries, microchips, and deworming before they are available for adoption. “The bill for this will be astronomical,” Zeus’s Rescues said. You can help the shelter with their heroic efforts by donating at the link below.