‘The worst that I have seen’: Nearly 60 animals rescued from Richmond home

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A life-saving mission by Richmond Animal Care and Control recently rescued almost 60 animals from a local home.

According Richmond Animal Care and Control, a Richmond residence has been on their radar for some time, with many neighbors calling the shelter and leaving complaints. Still, when Animal Care and Control officers arrived at the residence, staff were shocked by the animals they found in horrible conditions.

“This is the worst that I have seen I wuld say in my career,” Richmond Animal Care and Control director Christie Peters said. “We were very surprised at the number of animals.”

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Animal Care and Control officers ultimately rescued 19 dogs, 33 cats, a rabbit, a turtle, a pot belly pig and a raccoon. Peters told 8News that she is devastated seeing the nearly 60 animals brought to the shelter, most in poor condition.

Some photos released including a dog covered in an unknown substance. But Peters said that is the “most PG” of the conditions they found the animals in.

“That was the dog that looked the best,” Peters said.

While Peters is not able to share the animals’ exact condition due to the active investigation, she said their needs were urgent.

“Each of them needed immediate intervention,” Peters said.

After taking in all the animals, Peter said the shelter is now overwhelmed. This comes after the shelter reached critical capacity in September.

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“This is a perfect example of we never know what’s coming,” Peters said.

Richmond Animal Care and Control says none of the rescued animals will be available for adoption through their shelter. Instead, they were be transferred to other rescue outside of the city after being cleared for adoption.

This investigation is still ongoing.