The staff at the Humane Society of Greater Miami found 16 Maltese-mix dogs in horrible condition dumped on the doorstep of their shelter Friday morning.
They jumped into action to give the animals some much needed medical care and TLC.
The Humane Society says the dogs were abandoned in front of the facility, sometime during the night. The animals were stuffed into two crates, stacked on top of and stepping over each other.
“We are not sure how long these poor dogs were left cramped inside the filthy crates, but it was a heartbreaking situation,” said Laurie Hoffman, Executive Director of the Humane Society of Greater Miami.
"I've been here almost 11 years and I've never seen anything like it. How anyone can neglect dogs to eventually get to this condition is just terrible.
While we are happy that someone had the decency to bring them here, the condition that these poor dogs are in is absolutely inhumane.
All the dogs are very scared and we are doing our best to calm them down, stabilize them and ensure they are provided all the medical care they need.”
Their fur was matted and discolored yellow from urine. All of them knotted and tangled with feces. Two of the dogs had patches of matted fur the size of an eggplant.
Staffers say many of the dogs have severe dental disease and may eventually need to have teeth extracted.
How and why they ended up at the Humane Society is a mystery, but the animals will now have the opportunity for a much better life.
"The dogs are no longer stuffed into two cages, they're all in their individual cages being carefully cared for," Hoffman said.
All 16 dogs will be quarantined for seven to 14 days to make sure they are healthy and adoptable.
They are currently being processed, bathed, vaccinated and will be microchipped and spayed or neutered at the appropriate time.
If you would like to donate to help with the care of the dogs, go to: humanesocietymiami.org.
