19 canines rescued from 'Dog House of Horrors' in Katy

19 dogs rescued from Katy home

Well, a disturbing discovery over in Katy has led to the rescue of nearly 20 dogs. Precinct 1 Constables calling the home they were found in "a dog house of horrors."

KATY, Texas - Harris County officials have rescued 19 dogs from a home in Katy they describe as "rancid." Investigators say the dogs were abandoned in the home.

"There’s no reason to abandon an animal. There’s no reason. There’s no reason to cruelly treat an animal, and we’re just not going to put up with it," said Constable Alan Rosen of Precinct One. 

"Dog House of Horrors"

The Latest:

The dogs were found inside a home in the 19000 block of Cypress Canyon Drive on May 15. 

The dogs were malnourished and several appeared to have mange, investigators say.

The dogs chewed holes through the walls to enter and exit the three-bedroom home. Standing water was found inside the home and investigators called the house dilapidated.

Officials say some windows had been covered with boards, and the remains of three other dogs were found decaying.

"Probably one of the most shocking and horrific things that was noted was that there were three dogs on the property that were deceased and, unfortunately, they’d been deceased so long that they were in different stages of decomposition," said Dr. Roberta Westbrook, the Vice President of Veterinary Medicine of the Houston SPCA. 

Investigators rescued 19 distressed dogs from a rancid home in Katy where they’d been abandoned (Source: Harris County Constable Pct. 1)

Constable Rosen said it was a neighbor who called authorities to the home on Cypress Canyon Drive for animal cruelty. The animals were rescued by deputies from Harris County Pct. 1, the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and a Pct. 5 deputy. 

The dogs' owners were identified, and they told investigators they left the home on May 10. Officials said the dog owners were renting the home and moved to Liberty County as their property faced foreclosure because of unpaid rent. The owners left their dogs behind. On May 15, Precinct One got the call for animal cruelty. 

"It’s sad because these people left this house and left these animals behind to fend for themselves," said Constable Alan Rosen. 

A hearing to determine if the owners will be allowed to take back possession of the dogs is set for Wednesday, May 21 at 10:30 a.m.

The results of an ongoing criminal investigation will be forwarded to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to determine if charges are warranted.

Dr. Roberta Westbrook discusses incident

Dr. Roberta Westbrook with the Houston SPCA discusses what happened after several dogs were rescued last week.

What they're saying:

"This was truly a dog house of horrors," Constable Rosen said. "The scene was deplorable." 

Authorities obtained a search warrant for the animals and have now taken them into their care. The Houston SPCA reports the operation took several hours to get the animals out of the house. 

"The other significant thing that we found was that a lot of these dogs are very unsocial. When you have that many dogs, it can be very difficult to give them that one-on-one interaction that they need to have to be good K-9 citizens, to understand how to be well-adjusted to the world around them, to people and to other dogs," said Dr. Westbrook. 

"I'm glad we took these dogs in when we did. What we found on our physical exam is that almost 100% of the dogs that we took in had some level of a disease that we call demodectic mange. It's a type of mange that's spread really congenitally. It can be spread through poor genetics, poor nutrition," said Westbrook. "It causes really severe hair loss, infections in the skin, and in some cases, those infections in the skin can be so severe that it causes patients to lose vital nutrients in the skin and through those wounds, and can contribute to death." 

What you can do:

To report animal abuse, please call the Houston SPCA at 713-869-7722. Remember, your call could be the difference between suffering and safety for an animal.