Genesee Co. shelter thanks community for support after taking in 44 abused dogs

GENESEE CO., Mich. (WNEM) - There are dozens of small dogs at Genesee County Animal Control after they were rescued from a Burton home that is now condemned.

The sheriff said the dogs were tortured because they weren't being medically cared for and weren't being fed.

Previous coverage: Sheriff's office: 13 dogs found dead, 44 found alive in Burton home

The community heard about the disturbing case and wanted to help.

"We actually had a group of our staff here until 3 or 4 in the morning. It was a huge surprise, we were not expecting it," said Hannah Peterson, the social media manager at Genesee County Animal Control.

There were 57 dogs found in a hoarding situation at a home in Burton. Authorities said 13 were dead, but 44 were still alive.

The surviving animals were taken to refuge at the Genesee County Animal Control.

"They're all hanging in there. They're in clean environments, they have food, water, shelter, every single day, which is definitely more than what they had before," Peterson said. "We were lucky in the fact that they were the smaller breed versus the medium to large pits, pit mixes, shepherds that we're used to. If it had been that, I honestly don't know what we would've done."

Peterson called the intake of so many dogs "overwhelming."

"We weren't really able to prep or anything like that. The news got delivered to us, and we had to jump into action. It was an all-hands-on-deck situation," she said.

But so was the response to a call for help.

"We were completely shocked. Yesterday we came into work and we had our delivery and it was about 248 boxes," Peterson said.

The shelter had posted to Facebook asking for wet food and other supplies to help care for the dogs, and the answer was hundreds of donations , including from Pet Smart and Flint Township police.

"It's amazing when not only our members of the community but also other organizations in Genesee County wanting to help us out. It really just is amazing. People have such big hearts, especially when it comes to animals, and any support we receive from anyone, it just means the world to us," Peterson said.

The dogs are being monitored for any health issues and will soon go out to other rescues as they start their journey to healing.

"Thank you everyone for the help and support. We couldn't do what we do without the community, and we're really, really lucky and we feel very grateful," she said.

Click here if you'd like to donate.

The Genesee County prosecutor said a mother and her son are both under investigation, with the mother charged with cruelty to 25 or more animals and other charges.

He believes the son was suffering from mental health problems and that it will be explored in the courts.