TURLOCK, Calif. — The Turlock Animal Shelter is overwhelmed after rescuing more than 70 dogs involved in a suspected animal abuse and dog fighting case.
The shelter says it's only meant to house less than three dozen dogs, and the new influx of dogs puts them beyond capacity. They say their hands are tied until the suspect in the case is held responsible.
The 73 dogs are being housed at the shelter after living in inhumane conditions at three homes along the 400 block of S. 1st Street.
"Oh my goodness, I was really shocked. I've lived here three years and we never have had any problems like that, not in this area here," said Beatrice Gastelo, who lives nearby.
Turlock police say the investigation started in early March when they received calls related to the dogs. They served a search warrant March 28 and recovered dozens of dogs living in their own feces.
"Our shelter is not built for this many dogs. We can fit 32 comfortably here, so we are completely overwhelmed here at the shelter. Given this investigation, these dogs are held as evidence, so we can't do anything with these dogs until the court process starts," said Turlock police spokesperson, Dominique Sanchez.
Sanchez says the strain on staff is tremendous with one dog also giving birth to puppies and another litter on the way.
Police say 46-year-old Jorge Ayala is a suspect in the animal cruelty and possible dog fighting investigation, but he is nowhere to be found.
"Our hands are really tied right now. This is the first of its kind in our department, so we're really just leaning on the experts. There's a DA (district attorney) that is specifically assigned to this, that specializes in this. We're really leaning on him for support," said Sanchez.
They're also seeking the community's help in adopting 10 unrelated dogs already needing homes at the shelter.
Gastelo says she plans to stay vigilant and speak with other neighbors about the issue.
"Terrible, it's inhumane. You don't do that to a kid, you wouldn't do it to a child, why an animal? They need us. They need us to take care of them," said Gastelo.
Ayala is facing several felonies related to animal cruelty. Police say he was also arrested in Modesto back in 2002 for something similar.
Anyone with information in the case or Ayala's whereabouts can call 209-668-6570.
