HENDRY COUNTY, Fla. -- 12 dogs were removed from a Clewiston home Wednesday after investigators say their owner was starving them and allowing them to fight with each other.
75-year-old James Herrmann was arrested on animal cruelty charges and is being held in the Hendry County Jail on $5,000 bond.
According to the Hendry County Sheriff's Office, a search warrant was served at his Appaloosa Avenue home Wednesday after ongoing complaints made to Clewiston Animal Control.
Animal control officers told investigators that Herrmann was starving the dogs and witnessed them fighting, with no medical care provided for their wounds. They said the smell of urine and feces made it difficult to enter the home.
9 full grown dogs and three puppies were seized and taken into custody by Gulf Coast Humane Society. Some of the dogs had to be sedated in order to safely remove them from the home.
Fox 4 went to Gulf Coast Humane Society to check on the dogs that were seized.
The dogs were terrified and didn't understand human touch.
"Your normal instict is to pick up and cuddle a puppy, and they likc your face and they're so happy to see you. These are completely at the opposite end of the spectrum. They are afraid, they're trying to climb on top of each other, trying to get to the bottom of the pile to get away from anything that wants to touch them," Jennie Curtis of the humane society said.
She helped seize the dogs from Herrmann and said this case was the worst she's ever seen.
"They didn't have access to clean water, didn't have access to food, it was dirty conditions. It was just horrendous," Curtis said.
The Hendry County Sheriff's Office report said the feces was covering the dogs, on Herrmann's person, and throughout the residence.
It also said feces became embedded into the dogs' hair which could cause sores and health issues.
"Some of them had to be sedated so we could touch them just to where we could get them cleaned up, and get all the dirt and feces off of them because they were covered," Curtis told Four in Your Corner's Lisa Greenberg.
A doctor at Gulf Coast Humane Society evaluated the dogs, checking them for wounds and infections.
Curtis said despite what the dogs have been through, she's optimistic they can have a normal life.
"(I want) Every one of them to be running around in someone's backyard, playing ball, and having fun," she said.
It will be at least a few weeks before these dogs are available for adoption.
They still need to be socialized and get used to human contact, as well as spayed or neutered, and treated for any health conditions.
If you suspect any animal abuse, call your local law enforcement or animal control immediately.
