http://www2.tbo.com/video/2010/jan/06/dogs-running-wild-fend-frigid-temperatur-42299/video-news/

This is the url to some local video footage I saw on the TV stations web site tonight. There were still photos too, that looked like basenjis. That is what caught my eye at first.

http://www2.tbo.com/photoalbum/2010/jan/06/two-county-animal-investigation/5/

It is probably 20 degrees there tonight, at least there are about 20 of them to huddle together.

There used to be a BYB down there, he must have just let them take over this property.
Anne

Only 16 live on the property? I can't believe the county has been so slow to act. Those pot bellies on the puppies are probably because they are filled with worms.

Despicable..I can not believe that animal control in that area does not do anything to help the dogs and to prevent this from being what it is…a dog dump..poor animals..I sure hope they stay alive though this freeze..

They adults aren't too skinny so the owner must be feeding them, he evidently has said no one can come on his property. If they had safe shelter, vetting and good food, they might be happier there than in concrete boxes at animal control (kill shelter).
You know as much as I know at this point, I just found that a few minutes ago.

You are right, they don't look skinny or starved and they were not afraid of the people on the other side of the fence..still it needs to be stopped..

Oh my God!!! How is that allowed? That at least 16 dogs can just run wild? Doesn't Animal Control have jurisdiction to go on private property without the owner's consent; to at least investigate?

If I could, I would give them a heated, air conditioned shelter, food, vet care, and as much human companionship as they wanted and gradually socialize them, but let them all stay together!

With the media interest, animal services will likely take them, or better, force the owner to take better care of them. Wish a had a huge farm with space for a project like that, but I don't.

That is a very rural area, lots of empty acreage, large farms, cattle grazing land. A fenced property out there could have dozens of dogs, as long as they didn't get out and bother other people, no one would know.

Animal services is locally overwhelmed and probably has these dogs as a low priority, as the they appear nourished and not abused. They have recently confiscated dogs from 2 different puppymills, matted, sick little dogs that have filled them up. Not defending them, just locally under-budgeted and overfilled.

They don't look all that bad from those still shots but it's the shelter from the cold issue that concerns me.

True….they don't look sick or skinny...and there are a lot of shots of them looking pretty darn happy.....but, it just freaks me out that no one is caring for them...and that they are just reproducing pell-mell....Is it really going to be 20 degrees in Florida? yikes...I'd better stock up on OJ now....

@Quercus:

True….they don't look sick or skinny...and there are a lot of shots of them looking pretty darn happy.....but, it just freaks me out that no one is caring for them...and that they are just reproducing pell-mell....Is it really going to be 20 degrees in Florida? yikes...I'd better stock up on OJ now....

They look quite fit and actually in better shape than those living in crates in basement kennels. Maybe there's shelter on that land you just can't see from the fence line. I don't know.

Yea, I suppose in Florida they don't have some of the same laws that we have up here when it comes to canines living outside. Warmer months require approved shading and the winter months requires an approved dog house (that meets certain guidelines).

This cold snap is a bit of a rare event, but still… strange that they'd allow a property owner to have that many dogs within city limits.

At the end of the still photos, it looks like they took a bunch of dogs out of this guy's house at another location, in St. Pete? Including a BUNCH of tiny, tiny puppies. Anne, do you know if the B community can help in any way?

I think the conditions are deplorable. The dogs, while seemingly well-fed, appear to be allowed to breed however they want to. That is bad enough.

However, keep in mind this is Florida. I just checked the weather in the area and the coldest it is supposed to get is 31F. Our dogs are very hardy because they basically live wild in Africa and are often not provided shelter and have to scrounge for food. They probably already have thick undercoats.

I believe the dogs will be rescued after public pressure is placed on local animal control. There are legal procedures that have to be followed. Regardless of how we would like to see these animals removed immediately, the law must be followed and evidence has to be gathered. Have faith…in both the dogs and in the system. It works slowly in Florida for animals, but it does work.

Other than the weather we are currently having, the dogs are probably less stressed than they would be at the shelter with barking dogs all around, their pack all divided, on a concrete floor in a cage. Hope the owner will be forced to spay/neuter and care properly for them. The puppies, at least, need to be removed and homed, though!

@MacPack:

Other than the weather we are currently having, the dogs are probably less stressed than they would be at the shelter with barking dogs all around, their pack all divided, on a concrete floor in a cage. Hope the owner will be forced to spay/neuter and care properly for them. The puppies, at least, need to be removed and homed, though!

I agree Anne. That sounds like a really reasonable goal.

And if these dogs are unsocialized, they had already Packed… and that means survial of the fittest.... meaning lots of fights for social standing in the pack. This happens many times to hoarders that keep all the dogs outside in pens/groups. While the conditions they live in and/or the dogs themselves may not be bad, the problem is the pack situation

@MacPack:

Other than the weather we are currently having, the dogs are probably less stressed than they would be at the shelter with barking dogs all around, their pack all divided, on a concrete floor in a cage. Hope the owner will be forced to spay/neuter and care properly for them. The puppies, at least, need to be removed and homed, though!

I agree too Anne. They are better off there then in concrete cells with the stress of dogs barking and crying 24/7. I agree with Pat as well, no one there watching or supervising and and so any fighting and injuries that may occur do not get attended to. Those 2 guys in the video did not mention they saw any fighting.

@nobarkus:

I agree too Anne. They are better off there then in concrete cells with the stress of dogs barking and crying 24/7. I agree with Pat as well, no one there watching or supervising and and so any fighting and injuries that may occur do not get attended to. Those 2 guys in the video did not mention they saw any fighting.

And the dogs don't look like they have been fighting. Could well be that there isn't a lot of fighting, because there isn't a resource control issue. If the guy is feeding them plenty (which he says he is, and their condition indicates he is), fighting (probably) only becomes an issue when there are limited resources…for most of us with multiple dogs, the human attention/status is the most valued resource, so we have fighting occasionally.

..just saw this on my facebook page…from The Basenji Magazine's page

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/06/062156/dogs-seized-pinellas-wimauma-group-shivers-cold/

Hopefully they are one step closer in getting these dogs the help they need/deserve, whether shelter form the cold or vetting. This man needs to get his day in court, IMO.