A horrific scene met rescuers in Lavans-lès-Saint-Claude, a small French town near Geneva, in late July.
Source: Les Amis des Bêtes d'Autun
26 dogs were rescued by30 Millions d'amis, a French animal rescue foundation, on July 17. The animals were forced to live in appalling, squalid conditions, wading through rubbish and nearly 3 inches of their own urine and feces. They were living in the basement of a house. Although they sometimes left their filthy den to roam the rest of the house, they could never leave the property.
Source: Les Amis des Bêtes d'Autun
The owner of the house, a 60 year old woman, did not live there any more and left the dogs to their own devices. When volunteers from the Société Protectrice des Animaux (Society for Animal Protection), accompanied by local law enforcement got into the house, they were met with a devastating sight. The walls were crumbling and covered in dirt, and a tiny patio that the dogs could get to was covered in excrement.
Source: Les Amis des Bêtes d'Autun
Litters of puppies had been born one after the other, mostly inbred as the dogs were not at all separated. Jacques Mahon, president of Les Amis des Bêtes d’Autun (Friends of Animals in Autun), the rescue center that took in some of the animals, said:
They were acting like a pack of wolves.
Source: Les Amis des Bêtes d'Autun
This behavior means that the 26 dogs had never known human attention or affection and were left to fend for themselves for most - if not all - of their lives. Mahon added:
However, they were not aggressive and let us approach them without any difficulty.
Source: Les Amis des Bêtes d'Autun
The animals were sent to various shelters throughout the French region and it is hoped that they will all be adopted in the next few months.If you would like to help animals closer to home, you can donate to your local equivalent of the SPA, such as the RSPCA in Great Britain, or the ASPCA in the United States.
H/t: 30 Millions d'Amis
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