BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Bexar County Sheriff’s deputies and animal control officers descended on a piece of property in far southwest Bexar County on Monday morning where they say more than a dozen dogs were living in unsafe conditions.
A BCSO spokesperson told KSAT 12 News that a caller told the sheriff’s office about the situation Sunday. The caller said the animals’ owner had left Texas weeks ago, leaving the dogs to fend for themselves.
The spokesperson said someone living on the property had tried to feed the animals but was not able to continue doing so because of cost.
In all, BCSO said 18 dogs were seized. A deputy at the scene said some of the them appeared to be malnourished.
The dogs were also either kept in cages or kennels that were filled with feces or tied up.
Additionally, the sheriff’s office said all the dogs were covered in ticks and fleas.
Bexar County Animal Control took custody of the pets and will be evaluating and treating them, a BCSO deputy said.
Deputies said investigators are still trying to sort out exactly who was responsible for the dogs and what charges that person would face.
The property where they were found is the same site of a 2023 animal seizure conducted by BCSO.
At that time, deputies said they had seized 80 animals, including about 60 dogs, from the property which Sheriff Javier Salazar described as a “puppy mill.”
Salazar also told reporters back then that those animals were living in filthy conditions.
Although deputies found the then-79-year-old owner of the pets at the scene, he did not face any immediate charges.