WARNING: This story contains disturbing details.
Dozens of dogs were removed from a Winnipeg home where they were living in “horrific conditions,” the head of the city’s animal services department says.
Animal services officers received an emergency request earlier Wednesday from the Winnipeg Police Service for assistance regarding a large number of dogs living in a home in “essentially inhumane conditions,” animal services general manager Leland Gordon said during a news conference later in the day.
Animal services officers who responded “discovered really horrific conditions,” he said.
“There were 68 dogs in that home — smaller-breed dogs. There was a horrific stench of urine, feces, lots of puppies in there.”
The home was on Brentlawn Boulevard, in the Richmond West area of south Winnipeg, Gordon said.
Winnipeg police spokesperson Const. Claude Chancy said officers were called to the house for a well-being check and found the dogs. There are no criminal charges pending, he said.
No information was provided about the homeowner. Chancy said police typically don’t disclose the age, gender or specific location of people involved in well-being calls because of privacy concerns.
The Winnipeg Humane Society said in a news release earlier in the day it is arranging medical care and boarding for the animals while police investigate.
Under city bylaws, no more than four dogs are allowed to live in one household. In special circumstances, a person can apply for an excess animal permit to own more than the legal limit.