ATLANTA — The Atlanta Humane Society is helping out with a large-scale case of animal cruelty in Tennessee.
A total of 33 dogs were expected to arrive in Atlanta early Friday evening, according to a spokesperson from the Atlanta Humane Society. They were among more than 200 dogs and cats that have been recovered and removed from a home in Bledsoe County, Tenn., since Monday.
A woman who lived in the home has been charged with animal cruelty by local law enforcement.
According to Chattanooga NBC station WRCB, the situation was first discovered on Monday by Karen McMeekin from A Time 4 Paws Rescue in Crossville, Tenn., which is when she said she learned of a possible case of animal cruelty.
"I received a call on my anonymous animal cruelty hotline, and I also received phone calls from people in the community who know my organization," she told WRCB.
The Bledsoe County Sheriff's Office started Monday, working with a veterinarian to come out and assess the animals. The vet's recommendation was to remove all the animals from the property.
On Wednesday night, Caroline Adkins was arrested and charged with animal cruelty.
Bledsoe County Sheriff Jimmy Morris says the conditions inside the home were shocking, and he's never seen anything like it.
"There are just dogs walking on top of dogs, 40-plus dogs in a house, it's just truly amazing how the animals are being treated," Morris told WRCB.
When WRCB spoke with Adkins' husband, he declined to speak on camera but said the county needs an animal shelter.
166 dogs, more than 40 cats recovered from Tenn. home in horrific case of animal cruelty
According to WRCB, Bledsoe County does not have an animal shelter of its own.
Thousands of animals across the nation are in need of homes. Shelters across the nation are waiving or reducing their fees on Saturday, August 17 as part of a nationwide effort to Clear the Shelters and find homes for the many homeless animals out there.
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