The owner of an animal rescue in Texas was arrested after a home inspection revealed she and her boyfriend were sheltering more than 80 dogs in grotesque conditions, as investigators fear upwards of 100 others may be dead, officials said.<\/p>\n
The gruesome discovery at the home of Ashley McFadden, 26, came after she had asked the Tyler County Sheriff\u2019s Office to do the probe in order \u201cto approve her home as a safe place\u201d for her business, Southeast Texas Paw Patrol, according to a release<\/a> from the office.<\/p>\n During the February inspection, deputies were given free rein of McFadden\u2019s home, which she shared with her 28-year-old boyfriend Timothy Brockman.<\/p>\n Ashley McFadden and her boyfriend are accused of starving 80 dogs. Tyler County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Bryan Weatherford<\/p>\n Officers knew something was amiss the moment they stepped onto the property and saw three dogs tethered to a chain while four others ran loose, the release said.<\/p>\n There was also a pen outside the home that McFadden explained was exclusively for the more aggressive mutts, including some that had previously escaped and killed other dogs. <\/p>\n The inside of the home was packed with overflowing kennels that didn\u2019t appear to have been cleaned in days, if not weeks. A mother dog and her puppies were festering in their own fecal buildup in one crate, the sheriff\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n The deputies tallied around 50 dogs at the residence.<\/p>\n Timothy Brockman told police he was responsible for burying the dogs. Tyler County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Bryan Weatherford<\/p>\n McFadden was charged with two counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals as a felony and misdemeanor in February, the office said.<\/p>\n She was released on bond, with one condition, that she must rehome all of the dogs within 21 days.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Deputies returned to McFadden\u2019s home in early March, however, and found that in the few weeks she was out on bond, she had somehow amassed even more dogs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe smell of methane gas, produced by dog feces, was overwhelming. Dog waste was in every room . . . It was an obvious danger to any person or animal behind closed doors and windows at the residence,\u201d the sheriff\u2019s office detailed.<\/p>\n McFadden\u2019s was charged with two counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals as a felony and misdemeanor in February, the office said. Tyler County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Bryan Weatherford<\/p>\n Authorities estimated there were 15 to 20 dog carcasses stashed in several plastic totes, ice coolers, and dog crates all in varying degrees of decomposition, the release said.<\/p>\n Brockman, who was present during the inspection, explained that it was his job to bury the dead dogs.<\/p>\n The 54 dogs seized by the sheriff\u2019s office were placed with the Who Saved Who animal rescue in Montgomery County, Texas.<\/p>\n Other Houston-area animal rescue groups separately claimed 30 dogs, pushing the grand total to 84, Fox 26 Houston <\/a>reported. Investigators told the outlet they fear more than 100 dogs died at the property.<\/p>\n