79 dogs removed from Marion home

Animal control officers in Marion County removed 79 cocker spaniel/chihuahua mix dogs from a Summerfield area home Thursday night.

Investigators say the dogs were living in a 1,200 sq. ft. doublewide mobile home with so much waste inside the Marion County Fire Rescues HazMat team had to be called in to ventilate the home and while waiting for the ammonia levels to subside, the animals owner, Christine Watson, 54, arrived at the scene and willingly surrendered the dogs saying she was overwhelmed and could no longer care for all of the animals and needed help.

Animal control officers say the dogs were dirty, unkempt, had badly matted fur and none of the dogs were vaccinated nor spayed or neutered.

MCAS animal control officers transported the dogs to the Marion County Animal Center where staff worked throughout the night to clean them and assess their health. Less than ten hours later, staff noticed some symptoms of Canine parvovirus, and, after immediate testing, found that the dogs were sick with this highly contagious and dangerous canine virus.

The dogs were not previously vaccinated, which, when combined with their unsanitary living conditions, made them more susceptible to disease.  To prevent the virus from spreading to the dogs housed in the Animal Center, as well as to protect the animal community of Marion County, the dogs are unable to be put up for adoption.