TOWNSHIP, AJ SISON, WGAL NEWS EIGHT THE PENNSYLVANIA SPCA SAYS IT REMOVED 93 ANIMALS IN A RAID ON A HOME IN WEST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, LANCASTER COUNTY. POLICE AND PEOPLE IN HAZMAT SUITS WENT IN AND OUT OF THE HOME YESTERDAY ON HIGH RIDGE ROAD FOR HOURS. THE ORGANIZATION SAYS 76 DOGS AND PUPPIES, 15 CATS AND KITTENS AND TWO FLEMISH RABBITS WERE FOUND LIVING IN UNACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS, MANY COVERED IN FECES WIT
‘Extreme matting, hair loss, scabbing’: 93 animals rescued from Lancaster County home, SPCA says
Updated: 1:08 PM EDT Apr 23, 2026
Ninety-three animals were removed from a Lancaster County property as part of an animal cruelty and neglect investigation, according to West Hempfield Township police and the Pennsylvania SPCA. Warning: Some viewers may find the photos below disturbing. Authorities said the PSPCA’s Animal Law Enforcement Team, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and township police executed a search warrant at a home on High Ridge Road around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22, after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen about the animals’ living conditions. Animals found in poor conditions, officials sayAccording to the PSPCA, officers detected a foul odor outside the residence and, through a window, saw several dogs in distress. The agency said investigators found animals living in what it described as deplorable conditions, including piles of excrement and pools of liquid inside the home. In a fenced porch area and in the garage, officials said multiple dogs were found in “feces-laden conditions,” including a mother German shepherd and her puppies confined to a crate. Dozens of dogs, cats and rabbits surrenderedDuring the investigation, 93 animals were removed from the property and surrendered to the PSPCA, including 76 dogs and puppies, 15 cats and kittens, and two Flemish rabbits, according to officials. The PSPCA said many of the animals were “covered in fecal matter and suffered from extreme matting, fur staining, hair loss on the face and body, and scabbing.”Officials also said some of the animals had contaminated drinking water, while others were housed in hutches or confined to crates that had been zip-tied shut. Charges could follow veterinary evaluationsAll of the animals will undergo forensic veterinary examinations and receive general veterinary care, according to authorities. Police said both the department and the PSPCA are continuing their investigations and will determine appropriate charges based on the outcome of those evaluations.Those charges could include knowingly, recklessly or intentionally ill-treating an animal, as well as failing to provide clean and sanitary shelter and veterinary care, according to the PSPCA. “The conditions these animals were forced to endure were truly heartbreaking,” Nicole Wilson, director of animal law enforcement and shelter operations at the Pennsylvania SPCA, said in a statement. “Ninety-three animals living in filth, without clean water, adequate shelter, or basic care — this is why our team works around the clock to respond to these calls.” Anyone with information about the case or other cases involving animal cruelty is urged to call the Pennsylvania SPCA’s cruelty hotline at 866-601-SPCA. See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at https://www.wgal.com/upload.
WEST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
Ninety-three animals were removed from a Lancaster County property as part of an animal cruelty and neglect investigation, according to West Hempfield Township police and the Pennsylvania SPCA.
Warning: Some viewers may find the photos below disturbing.
Authorities said the PSPCA’s Animal Law Enforcement Team, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and township police executed a search warrant at a home on High Ridge Road around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22, after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen about the animals’ living conditions.
Animals found in poor conditions, officials say
According to the PSPCA, officers detected a foul odor outside the residence and, through a window, saw several dogs in distress.
The agency said investigators found animals living in what it described as deplorable conditions, including piles of excrement and pools of liquid inside the home.
In a fenced porch area and in the garage, officials said multiple dogs were found in “feces-laden conditions,” including a mother German shepherd and her puppies confined to a crate.
Dozens of dogs, cats and rabbits surrendered
During the investigation, 93 animals were removed from the property and surrendered to the PSPCA, including 76 dogs and puppies, 15 cats and kittens, and two Flemish rabbits, according to officials.
The PSPCA said many of the animals were “covered in fecal matter and suffered from extreme matting, fur staining, hair loss on the face and body, and scabbing.”
Officials also said some of the animals had contaminated drinking water, while others were housed in hutches or confined to crates that had been zip-tied shut.
Charges could follow veterinary evaluations
All of the animals will undergo forensic veterinary examinations and receive general veterinary care, according to authorities.
Police said both the department and the PSPCA are continuing their investigations and will determine appropriate charges based on the outcome of those evaluations.
Those charges could include knowingly, recklessly or intentionally ill-treating an animal, as well as failing to provide clean and sanitary shelter and veterinary care, according to the PSPCA.
“The conditions these animals were forced to endure were truly heartbreaking,” Nicole Wilson, director of animal law enforcement and shelter operations at the Pennsylvania SPCA, said in a statement. “Ninety-three animals living in filth, without clean water, adequate shelter, or basic care — this is why our team works around the clock to respond to these calls.”
Anyone with information about the case or other cases involving animal cruelty is urged to call the Pennsylvania SPCA’s cruelty hotline at 866-601-SPCA.
See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at https://www.wgal.com/upload.