LEE COUNTY, Fla. —
Of the 30 dogs found living inside a reportedly unsanitary North Fort Myers home last week, many are now waiting for a fresh start. Now, four of those dogs have made it to the adoption floor at Lee County Domestic Animal Services.
30 dogs, 30 baths, and a whole lot of teamwork at Lee County DAS.
“One of the best parts of this job is to see the entire team come together in a situation like this, work long hours, do things that are outside of their normal job realm,” said Karen Hoel at Lee County DAS.
Lee County DAS took in 30 dogs rescued from an alleged hoarding situation along Sabal Gardens Drive this month. Lee County deputies said they found one dead dog inside a kennel. That’s when deputies arrested the homeowner, Mary Paulis.
The dogs needed plenty of elbow grease and hands-on care from staff.
“They were so covered in feces. The puppies, when they came in that night, even though it was late at night, by the time they all got back here, got a bath that night by staff. The next day, myself and our volunteer coordinator gave them each three more baths to get all of it off of them,” said Hoel.
These dogs survived a difficult chapter. Now, four of them are ready to start a new one.
“They came from a bad situation, and now we’re looking to get them into a good situation,” said Hoel.
One, however, still needs time to heal after having a leg amputated. Surgery isn’t cheap, but the Animal Care Trust Fund helped make it possible.
“The trust fund goes into any medical emergency care that we may need for animals,” said deputy director Sergio Perez at Lee County DAS.
So, where are the other dogs? The majority have now moved on to rescue partners, opening up space for other dogs still waiting for their chance.
“Some of the animals went to Naples. Some of them went to Tampa Humane. So we were able to do a great job in ensuring those animals ultimately find a positive outcome,” said Perez.
If you are interested in adopting one of these four dogs, you can visit Lee County DAS.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.