MIDDLEBURG, Fla. — The Clay County Sheriff’s Office tells Action News Jax that 37 animals, which it says were in poor condition, were taken from a home in Middleburg on Wednesday.
Deputies say the owner had brought multiple dead dogs to Jacksonville to have their bodies cremated, which is when staff of the facility noticed them to be in poor condition.
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The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office then started investigating and found the owner’s home on Ashton Street in the Orange Park South neighborhood full of neglected animals.
CCSO said 25 dogs, 10 reptiles, including lizards, and two prairie dogs were found inside. In the hours after they were found, they were slowly been delivered to the Clay County Animal Control building in Green Cove Springs, which is already over capacity.
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“I don’t like hearing and seeing instances like this,” Timothy Devin, director of Clay County Emergency Management, said. “That’s why I encourage anyone that if you’re going down this route and you need help, please reach out ahead of time.”
Devin tells Action News Jax’s Finn Carlin this marks at least the third time in the last year that a large number of animals have been taken from an owner in Clay County. Back in January, Action News Jax told you when the owners of more than 70 cats and dogs gave their animals to the county.
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Emergency management hasn’t been able to tell Action News Jax what exactly could happen with the animals taken Wednesday but said there’s a chance they could be put up for adoption, depending on the investigation.
“We have surge plans that are in place that if we do go above capacity we have locations that we can stand up with extra staffing and extra equipment to take care of the animals we have,” Devin said.
The owner of the animals taken from the Orange Park South neighborhood isn’t being named but is being investigated by both the Clay County and Jacksonville sheriff’s offices for possible charges from both agencies.
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Emergency management says owners need to take responsibility to make sure no animal has to go through the reality of being in a home in poor condition.
“If you have multiple animals and need help, reach out to the organizations ahead of time before they get into this condition,” Devin said.
The animals are being treated at Clay County Animal Services temporarily, but we’re told they will soon be moved to a temperature-controlled building during the investigation. The county is asking anyone looking to adopt or foster an animal to visit Clay County Animal Services to both provide relief to the over-capacity shelter and help its animals find healthy homes.
PHOTOS: Animals seized from Clay County home after owner brought dead dogs to be cremated in Jacksonville
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