The pleading puppy-dog eyes of 71 beagles helped bring in a flood of donations to the Lehigh County Humane Society, which had asked the community for help in caring for the rescued animals.
The beagles were taken from an Upper Saucon Township home on Saturday, where humane society officials said they had been neglected, living in filth, were in poor health, and in some cases were malnourished and afflicted with mange and ringworm.
The influx of 71 new hungry dogs prompted a call for food, bedding, cleaning supplies and cash for medical bills. The community rose to the occasion, so far donating thousands of pounds of dog food and more than $9,700 in cash on Facebook, said Hal Warner, the humane society’s incoming CEO.
“It’s been incredible,” Warner said. “The donations from the community have been amazing not just in terms of supplies, food, and bedding but in terms of monetary donations to offset the medical expenses in association with the puppies.”
The humane society still needs more donations to care for the dogs, which range in age from puppies to full-grown adults.
The agency is seeking efficiency laundry detergent, bleach, paper towels, cleaning supplies, leashes, small dog collars, connectors for leashes, and gift cards for retailers where it can purchase canned food at a later date.
Each dog must undergo a medical exam, be dipped in a special ringworm-killing bath, get spayed or neutered and receive any other required medical attention.
Warner said the organization typically spends $27,000 a month on veterinary bills without the influx of beagles, and he expects this month that amount will be at least doubled.
The shelter typically has about 200 animals at any given time, so the beagles added to the staff’s workload.
Shelter officials expect the first beagles to be ready for adoption by the end of the week. People hoping to adopt them should make an appointment.
Charges are expected to be filed against the man whose home the dogs were found in. The dogs didn’t initially belong to the man, whom Humane Society officials declined to identify.
Mary Shafer, the Lehigh County Humane Society executive director, told The Associated Press that the man’s companion had been breeding, kenneling and selling beagles, and acted as a beagle rescue, all without a license, Shafer said.
The woman died in September, leaving the man with the animals, she said.
