According to our partners at CBS12, Tri-County Animal Rescue in Boca Raton is opening its doors to animals in need of medical attention after they were found living in deplorable conditions inside a Miami home. A rescue team responded to the home in Southwest Miami-Dade last Thursday after neighbors tipped police about the smell coming from the house. When they arrived, they discovered these 99 dogs and 5 cats living in filth, in almost every room of the house, including the garage and kitchen. Many were covered in feces.
“I try to think of it as some type of mental illness, or the fact that they may be started out really thinking that they were helping, and it got out of hand because if I believe somebody did this on purpose, I can’t deal with it,” said Dr. Cynthia Ramsey, a veterinarian at Tri-County Animal Rescue. The dogs are small to medium size shih tzu, basset hounds and terrier mixes.
Some require serious medical attention, even surgery. The injuries are so bad, vets will need to remove at least one of the dog’s legs surgically.“My plan for him is to take this leg off and hope that he can build strength in this one, and just be a happy 3-legged dog,” Dr. Ramsey explained. The Miami homeowner denies any abuse police say these pups were put through.
She claims she rescued them. “They were fed well. Watered well. They were not abused. I did my best to take care of them. Never were they abused. Never,” Alice James said. “The injured ones, I nursed back to health. We had a very close relationship.”