Puppies rescued from poor living conditions

Animal activist, Bianca Matas, said five dogs had been living in deplorable conditions for more than three months in a Desert Hot Springs mobile home park. “I tried talking to management and nothing was being done over the couple months that I had been there,” said Matas. The mobile home park only allows two dogs per resident. A manager at the park, who asked not to be identified, said this is a different case. “They were grandfathered in what dogs were when the owners purchased the park. They get to keep them, but as they die off, they can’t get new ones,” said a manager. Matas posted a cry for help on Facebook. “I was horrified to see this. The dogs were barking aggressively, probably from frustration of being in there all day.” Matas contacted Riverside County Animal Services, which surveyed the area when we arrived. And it’s not the first time they’ve visited this residence. “We’ve had a series of complaints and they’ve always complied. Yes, they had bunnies, they weren’t allowed in the city, so they voluntarily removed them. We came out here on a license check of sorts and issued a citation and they complied, they purchased their licenses, not 100 percent truthful, there were more dogs on the property than they claimed,” said Hector Palafox, a Riverside County Animal Control employee. The dog owner’s husband spoke to us briefly. He said he moved here a few months ago and he’s sorry the dogs lived this way. He and his wife work long hours and there’s no time to take care of them. Three of the dogs can be adopted right now. “They’ll get the chance to be with good owners, people that care and will take care of them. That makes me happy,” said Matas. Shortly after we arrived at the mobile home park, management cited the owners for the mess. As for the other two dogs, the owner’s husband says he plans on finding them a good home. Animal Control said they will monitor the situation carefully.