East Jutland Police and agents for animal welfare agency Dyrenes Beskyttelse found 26 mistreated and neglected dogs in a farmhouse in Harlev west of Aarhus on Tuesday.
The animals were thin, dehydrated and covered in their own faeces – some of the dogs were in such poor shape that agents were forced to euthanise them at the site.
“We found one dog already dead when we arrived,” East Jutland Police’s communications head Janni Lundager told TV2.
“There were 11 others that needed to be put down immediately.”
Still unstable
The 14 surviving dogs were brought to the Dyrenes Beskyttelses shelter in Brande.
“We have received dogs of various breeds and ages,”said shelter manager Kent Karlsen.
“They are very thin, dehydrated and generally in poor condition. They do not seem to be accustomed to humans, they are very scared and react strongly to sounds.”
Karlsen was not sure how many of the dogs he would be able to save.
Second case within one month
A 45-year-old woman, who owned the dogs, has been charged with serious animal cruelty and violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
READ MORE: Abandoned pets filling up Danish animal shelters
This is the second major dog-cruelty case reported by Dyrenes Beskyttelse in just two weeks. In early November, 25 Labradors were rescued from a home in northern Zealand.
