Firefighters responding to a blaze in northwest Indiana this week were horrified to discover more than 80 cats and dogs living inside of a home, and a suburban animal shelter has stepped up to help some of those animals find new homes.
Border Tails in suburban Northbrook loaded up their van on Wednesday morning and took in 43 dogs, all of which are Chihuahua mixes.
Cats that were inside the home were safely transported to other shelters, officials said.
The pictures from inside the home showed the squalid conditions that the animals were living in, and it tugged at the heartstrings of Harleigh Garcia.
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“The first thing is I saw the pictures from the hoarding situation, and for me it was the tearjerker moment,” she said. “There’s pictures of puppies and cats, and they’re all snuggled together, with…tiny newborn puppies and kittens.”
Garcia says that she felt compelled to help after seeing the images.
“I don’t think they were looking for us to take all of them at the same time,” she said. ‘It’s a lot to take on as one organization, but we have the space and the resources.”
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The team at Border Tails spent the day microchipping the dogs, testing them for heartworm, and providing them with love and comfort before meeting with veterinarians.
“There’s a lot of Chihuahua lovers out there…I’m happy they are not in that situation any more,” she said.
Garcia says that her goal now is to help the dogs to find forever homes, and families that will love them unconditionally.
“I’m really excited for what their future holds, and whatever family adopts them is going to be really lucky,” she said.
The shelter says that they will accept applications for fosters in the coming days, with adoption applications opening next week. More information can be found on Border Tails’ website.
