Hoarding situation, over 25 sick puppies and dogs

AMA received a desperate call about a hoarding situation out in Queens. When we were told there were at least 20 small breed dogs and puppies crowded in a few small rooms hoped it might be an exaggeration. But we wasted no time and got a rescue team on the scene.

Not knowing the situation that lie ahead, our team was accompanied by two police officers from the local precinct. When our group approached the home that was reported, we were greeted by skeletal and filthy dogs and cats surrounding the property, and an overwhelming stench of urine and feces. Someone gagged. The hoarding problem was so bad it couldn't even be contained within the walls of the home. The caller was not exaggerating. Not a bit.

We rang the bell and let the family know we were there to help. Were invited inside but had to step in slowly to not suffocate from the nauseating smell of body odor and excrement. We didn't understand how anyone could choose to live under those conditions, but at least the people had a choice. The dozens of puppies littering the property couldn't say no. They couldn't escape. But our mission now is to provide them all with that exit to freedom and the kind of happy, healthy life they would have chosen for themselves.

We started by having a mom with a litter of 7 puppies surrendered to us. The pups were squirming and whining and barely clinging on to life. The mom, whom we named Roxy, literally jumped at the chance to bring attention to her sick pups by hopping into the arms of a rescuer. While every puppy needs extensive nursing and medical supervision, two puppies are too close to death for standard care. Our vets at Noah's Ark kept them alive until they could be rushed to intensive emergency care at VERG. Specialists are now trying to fix the devastating damage caused by improper and careless breeding.

The officers said this is one of the worst animal hoarding and neglect cases they've ever witnessed. This isn't some movie or a sad commercial, this is real life. These are dozens of real animals, cats and dogs and tiny wiggling puppies that are suffering, and dying. If there's ever been a time when people need to come together to fix a horrible situation and bring justice to other beings with whom we share this earth, this is it. Our focus is to get every animal out of that house and to turn their suffering and harm into happiness. But there's only so much we can do alone. Without donations we can't pay for life saving care that these animals will die without. For over a dozen dogs we will need more than prayers. Let's not let a single animal be the one that has to watch his brothers be cared for and ask "Why not me