Police find 298 dogs hoarded at refuge

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WILLIS, Texas, July 19 (UPI) -- Police said a Houston-area animal refuge turned into a case of animal hoarding after they discovered 298 dogs stacked in cages without proper food and water.

Montgomery County police and officials from the Human Society of the United States seized the dogs Wednesday from the Spindletop Refuge in Willis, Texas, the Houston Chronicle reported.

"We were shocked at how overcrowded this facility was," said Katie Jarl, Texas state director for the Human Society. "It's clearly a hoarding case. Sometimes these people start out with good intentions and it spins out of control."

Jarl called the conditions of the facility "absolutely deplorable," without clean food, water or air conditioning.

"They were wallowing in their own waste, digging pebbles of food from their own waste," she said. "Many didn't have clean water."

The dogs, mostly pit bulls, are undergoing medical and behavioral evaluations with the intention of finding them homes, Jarl said.

Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable Tim Holifield said authorities are considering filing charges against the owner of the facility.