Dozens of dogs saved from Estill Co. home; how KY rescues have banded together to help

ESTILL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - Another couple dozen dogs have been rescued from ‘deplorable’ living conditions in Estill County.

Deputies arrested Delbert Webber on second-degree animal cruelty charges after they found 73 dogs in his home.

Webber has since been released on bond, and one of the dogs has died.

But thanks to rescues and many volunteers, the other dogs now have a fighting chance.

“I looked in, and they all looked up at me like, ‘Save me. Save me.’ We were there working and taking pictures of everything, and while we were there, one of them had passed away. It was devastating. We had just gotten them all here, and one of them died,” said Paws 4 the Cause General Manager Anita Spreitzer.

With Paws 4 the Cause, Anita Spreitzer has been coordinating with rescues around the region to take in the dozens of neglected and abused malti-poos. These dogs have skin infections, they’re flea and parasite-infested, and most will have lung issues. And every single one of them will have to learn how to live a life outside of a cage.

“It’s just a shame someone would do something like this. The laws here in Kentucky are so lax he’ll just get a slap on the wrist,” Spreitzer said. “The hoarding cases we’ve seen lately have been unbelievable. Most have been backyard breeders, and what they’re doing is getting rid of their breeding stock.”

Animals are being dumped everywhere, at a rate Spreitzer says she hasn’t seen in her 30-plus years in pet rescue. She says the demand for dogs skyrocketed during the pandemic. And it eventually went down just as fast. She says they’re getting 25 to 30 messages for owner surrenders a day.

“The main thing is we need foster homes,” said Spreitzer. “Foster homes are the lifeline to rescues right now.”

The foster homes are another chance at life these dogs are really going to need.

“We came in this morning, and they were all wagging their tails; they’re happy. They’re happy getting a bath. They aren’t fighting us. They’re absorbing everything, saying ‘yes, please help me,’” said Spreitzer.

Right now, Spreitzer says they’re looking at very hefty medical bills for many of these dogs.

If you’d like to help, you can find out how to at the link here.

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