Nearly 50 dogs rescued from dangerous hoarding situation in Sky Valley

The Riverside County Department of Animal Control rescued nearly 50 dogs from a property in Sky Valley in yet another hoarding situation in the Coachella Valley.

Emergency responders contacted Animal Services late Sunday after arriving at a property on Vee Bee Road between Dillon Road and 19th Avenue after residents discovered the landlord unresponsive. Five great Danes were reported near the man’s body and authorities contacted Animal Services.

At least 50 dogs are on the property, mostly small breeds, authorities said.

14 dogs were rescued on Monday.

"On Monday, too many of the dogs were running loose and Lt. Luis Rosa said he was concerned the dogs could suffer from heat-related injuries or death if he and his team continued pursuing them," reads a notice by the Dept. of Animal Services.

The rest of the dogs were set to be retrieved on Tuesday to be relocated to shelters, according to John Welsh, spokesperson for the Dept. of Animal Services. Residents at the property will be providing food and water for the dogs in the interim. They will also work to contain the dogs to assist Animal Services.

Animal Services officials said they are immediately working with rescue partner organizations to arrange transports. One of those transport missions was already in the works.

On Friday, a Wings of Rescue transport will take place at the Riverside Municipal Airport. Dozens of dogs will be flown to a rescue organization in Utah.

“Rescue missions such as this are a vital part of our portfolio of positive outcomes” said Animal Services Director Erin Gettis. “Other states and organizations are in need of animals for adoption and it is wonderful when we can work with these community partners to make it happen.”

This is the third major hoarding rescue in the past few weeks in the Coachella Valley.

On July 11, more than 30 dogs were rescued from captivity at a home in the Thermal area amid triple-digit heat. Almost 20 dogs were found dead inside the home.

The next day, 19 dogs were rescued from a property in Indio.

If you are interested in adopting a dog, now is the time. Coachella Valley Animal Campus is severely overcrowded due to multiple incidents of dog hoarding. The shelter is offering free pet adoptions through the rest of July.