111 dogs & cats seized from Keller home

KELLER, Texas - Keller police seized 111 animals from a home that police say had no air conditioning or water. They were found on Tuesday when temperatures were in the mid-90s.

Investigators say 27 dogs and 84 cats were seized that were dehydrated. They are now looking at whether criminal charges could be filed against the homeowner's relative. The investigation has now expanded to a home in Fort Worth.

The Humane Society is giving the animals plenty of water, food, air conditioning and any medical help if needed. Workers say they're glad they found them when they did.

Sandy Shelby with The Humane Society of North Texas described the condition the animals were found in as completely inhumane.

Keller police and animal control got a call from neighbors in the 300 block of Anita complaining about the smell coming from a home.

Tina Harkness lives next door. She says it just seemed to get worse over the last year.

“The flies is what we noticed most,” she said. “We would catch wind of it depending on which way the wind blew, and it was just awful urine, the cat urine and feces."

Police and animal control officers say when they walked up to the home on Tuesday, they found a van in the driveway filled with dogs.

"The van was not running. The windows were rolled up and just cracked a tiny little bit,” Shelby said. “There were 14 crates full of animals inside."

The Humane Society says a relative of the homeowner wouldn't let them inside so officers came back about an hour later with a warrant.

"We found 84 cats in the garage, which was about 94 degrees,” Shelby said. “There was no air conditioning. There was no water in any of the water buckets. The litter boxes had zero litter. It was just feces that was in them."

Police say they are investigating the relative, not the homeowner. The Humane Society says animals have been seized from the same person three different times, including her home in an upscale neighborhood in North Fort Worth.

Authorities are also investigating reports that someone went to the Fort Worth home to remove other animals late Tuesday night after the raid in Keller.

Shelby says the woman they're investigating at the home got the animals from various shelters with the intention of rescuing them.

"I think that people start out with good intentions, I really do,” she said. “They don't know when to say no.”

The woman's name was not released. She has not been arrested or charged.

As for adopting the animals, it will take a while before that will happen. The investigation is still going. Then the Humane Society must file for custody of the animals.