N. TX families waiting to hear about dogs taken in seizure

Dozens of animals taken from an Ellis County home are being cleaned and nursed back to health.

The dogs were discovered at a woman's property near Waxahachie in unsanitary conditions.

The animals are being housed at the SPCA in Dallas, and the long process has started of evaluating the animals and nursing them back to good health.

Some of the dogs are people's pets.

The SPCA says three families have already called to say they can account for five of the dogs.

The SPCA says the dogs were found in filthy conditions, stacked in cages and covered with feces and urine.

The immediate goal is to get the animals back to their owners or ready for adoption and into a good home.

Gayle Justice, the 69-year-old homeowner where the animals were found, was arrested Thursday for animal cruelty after SPCA investigators discovered 68 dogs, three cats and a bird in her home.

Twenty dead dogs were found in the backyard.

The SPCA says people are already calling, wondering if their dog may be among those recovered.

Peter Hall hasn't seen his family's two dogs since July 11.

That's when Justice picked them up; she was boarding the dogs while the family was on vacation.

Justice told the Halls their dogs were doing fine and even sent them a video last week she filmed on her cell phone of their golden lab, Charlie, having fun with his friends.

The investigation was a shock to Hall.

He says they never went to Justice's Waxahachie home; they never had a reason to.

"She picked up and dropped off for the boarding, which was fantastic,” said Hall. “The dogs always came back happy and healthy.”

But Hall says his efforts to get the dogs back rom the SPCA have gone nowhere.

"I spent six hours, probably drove 150 miles this morning trying to get my dogs home,” said Hall.  

A spokesperson for the SPCA told FOX 4 that according to Texas law, it has to keep and care for the dogs until a court hearing next week.

That's where families would have an opportunity to get their pets back.

Hall says in a cage, away from their family is not where his, or any family's dogs need to be.

"Our dogs are chipped,” said Hall. “The vets have all the records. They're in good health. There's indisputable proof that we're the owners and they should be able to come home."