Photo Provided THis Dog was among animals removed from the home of an alleged animal hoarder Tuesday.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — More than two dozen dogs and some cats were removed Tuesday from the home of an alleged animal hoarder.

Julie Larish, humane agent with the Belmont County Hoof & Paw organization, said the animals were from a home on Fairpoint-Provident Road in St. Clairsville, where they had reportedly been kept in deplorable conditions.

“We removed 28 dogs and three cats,” she said. “We got our search warrants and we went in with a search and seizure warrant.”

Larish said group members and law enforcement were immediately struck by overpowering odors.

“The air was such bad quality that the deputy told me that he has actually been in homes with decomposed bodies, that the homes smelled better,” she said.

“We investigated it. We had some other investigations going on regarding it. We were going to work with another agency because at that time we had not had enough space here for all the animals, but we ended up getting the space, so we took the dogs sooner,” she said. “We are still working with another agency for all the vetting service. Every one of these dogs are going to need vet care because of the breathing situation in there.”

She spoke about the condition of the animals.

“The French bulldogs appear healthy, but they all are having breathing difficulties. The mastiffs, the boxers and the mixed breeds are all in severely bad condition — some of them are in critical condition. One actually collapsed and we were able to save her,” Larish said. “She will receive vet care first. The rest of them we are triaging, and we are getting them in to the vet as fast as we can.

“The mastiffs could not stand up completely in their kennels, they have never been able to stretch out their legs. Their backs were hitting the top of the kennels, therefore their heads could not actually be in an upright position,” she said. “All of them lived in so much filth that we actually had to dig out the front doors in order to get them out of the kennels. Some of the kennels had rusty hooks on them. Some of the kennels had zip ties on them. We had to break through all that to get them out.”

Larish estimates that the situation has been ongoing for years and she believes some animals have died.

“I know of three that have passed away in the beginning of the year. I know of one that has passed away between March and now, and I have no clue how many have died over the years in those conditions,” she said.

No one has been arrested. A probable cause hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Belmont County Western Division Court.

“It’s definitely animal hoarding,” Larish said. “The woman truly loved her dogs. I think she got in over her head, it got out of control and her sense of reality of what could happen and what is happening is two different things. I think that she isn’t comprehending yet the severity of the condition of the animals.”

With this latest group, Larish said the humane organization is now holding more than 40 dogs. The Humane Society of the United States has offered to help with vetting, and other volunteers such as a massage therapist have also come forward.

“I feel very grateful that they’re all doing this,” she said.

Larish added that Hoof & Paw is thankful for the public’s willingness to help.

“We’re getting quite a few seeking applications for some of the dogs. I need everybody to understand that they have to go through the vet care,” she said. “We don’t even know if we will retain custody of them.”

She said the organization is in need of volunteers to exercise the dogs. Other needs include food, extra dog beds and treats.

Anyone wishing to help can contact the humane organization on social media, by email at bchp911@gmail.com or call 610-314-5203.