‘It’s very rewarding once you do get to see them coming out of their shell.’ Dogs rescued from hoarder house thoroughly examined
Apr 21, 2025, 6:00 AM | Updated: 7:10 am
FILE — About 150 dogs were rescued from a home in Ogden for the second time, after the dogs were found in extremely poor conditions. This photo was taken of the home the first time authorities became involved in 2012. (KSL TV)
(KSL TV)
OGDEN — Several of the 156 dogs rescued from an Ogden home last week were given vaccinations and check-ups Sunday.
The dogs were found in terrible conditions on Tuesday.
A team with Best Friends Animal Society thoroughly examined and vaccinated around 30 to 40 of them.
Veterinary programs assistant Finn Drew said the sheer number of dogs involved in this case makes it a more difficult situation. He said the other dogs have been sent to shelters across the Wasatch Front.
“We’ve seen a lot with some overbites, a little bit of some skin issues…it looks like they might have gotten bitten on the ear,” Drew said.
He said some are showing signs of some neglect.
“A couple of them are a little bit underweight, could put some meat on their bones,” Drew said.
A team of vet technicians examined their faces, skins, eyes, ears and bodies. They also vaccinated the animals.
“Especially in an environment where there are that many dogs together, things can spread very easily,” Drew said. “We’re pretty fortunate that it doesn’t seem like any of these guys have come down with any of those diseases.”
He said the dogs appear to be chihuahua and terrier mixes, ranging from a few months to around eight years old.
“None of them seem to have any immediate medical issues that would warrant them not being able to be adopted at some point in the future,” Drew said.
He said some are far more socialized than others.
“They freak out once we get the leash on them, but they’re still used to being carried around and having people around, and they can definitely be a little bit averse to human touch,” he said.
Drew said the time it takes a dog to heal from a situation like this varies.
“I’ve seen some older dogs that just need to have a little bit of space and they decompress within like a couple of weeks,” he said. “And yet there can also be some younger ones that end up taking longer.”
He said shelters will need foster homes soon.
“Some of them in there that were super, super excited to get some human attention and others that you can tell it’ll probably take a few weeks to potentially a few months for them to fully come out of their shell once they’re out of the hoarding environment,” Drew said.
He said it’s also helpful to volunteer and help some of these dogs who really need time socializing.
“They can see about donating any supplies these guys might need, like food or blankets, even just coming into the shelter and giving them some socialization time so that they can get used to meeting with people would be super,” Drew said.
Read more: Local animal rescues scramble to help more than 150 dogs rescued from Ogden home
