48 Dogs Have New Homes in Just Over 24 Hours

Animal lovers from near and far came to the Anne Arundel County Animal Control facility in Millersville to adopt one of the 51 dogs brought there by officials on Monday. The dogs, Yorkshire terriers, poodles and mixed breeds, ranging in age from puppies to adults, were previously being kept in what officials called a "hoarding situation" in Pasadena.

Their herculean effort was praised by County Executive John R. Leopold who congratulated Animal Control on Wednesday for an unprecedented adoption drive that resulted in connecting 48 of the 51 dogs with new homes in a little more than 24 hours.

"We saw visitors from as far away as New York and New Jersey and locally from Anne Arundel County and the surrounding jurisdictions of Prince George's County and Baltimore," said David Abrams, public information officer for the county executive, noting that others came from Washington, DC, Kent Island and many from the city of Baltimore to adopt a new pet.

The Animal Control Facebook page has blossomed during the past three days, bringing in 300 new friends and numerous posts, pictures and videos of the dogs and their new owners. "It's been a whirlwind three days for sure," Abrams said.

"The staff at Animal Control worked so hard to rescue these dogs from a bad situation and find them new homes," Leopold said in a press release. "This was the most successful adoption drive in recent memory, if not ever. I hope this case will educate people to remember to spay and neuter their pets to control the dog and cat population. Congratulations to everyone who played a role in this effort."

On Tuesday, the dogs were made available for adoption. According to a news release, a line of 100 prospective adopters stretched out the door for most of the day due to a tremendous response to media reports of the case. 

All but five dogs, who were in surgery for spaying and neutering, were claimed by new owners by the end of the day. Three pregnant dogs were sent to facilities that could care for them and their newborn babies. The remaining five dogs, including an adult retriever named Holly, were adopted Wednesday.

The hoarding case is still under investigation, according to county officials.

Animal Control is open for adoptions Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information, please visit the Facebook page, or call 410-222-8900. There are more dogs and cats waiting for new homes.