The local police were the first to arrive at the scene.
Following the death of their owner, a huge number of animals had been left completely to fend for themselves.
A squalid home
The poor dogs and cats were living in catastrophic sanitary conditions. Officers quickly contacted the rescue charity Le Cœur sur la patte 85. When rescuers arrived, they found that the abandoned animals were living in a squalid house and barn, both piled high with faeces. The stench was unbearable. Some of the animals were even being kept in rabbit hutches, shut away in total darkness.
Sharing the news on Facebook after this heartbreaking rescue, the charity wrote: "*Hell is real*." In total, they saved around 70 dogs and 20 cats. Most of these poor creatures were severely underweight, sick, injured, and covered in parasites. Some of the dogs could only walk on three legs, while many of the cats suffered from severe eye infections.
A matter of life and death
Given the sheer scale of the crisis, Le Cœur sur la patte 85 reached out to the SPA (the French animal welfare charity), which immediately took in the animals requiring the most urgent veterinary care. Plans are already in place to transfer more animals to other SPA shelters across France.
The rescue team is deeply worried about the animals. Some are absolutely terrified of human contact and remain highly suspicious of people. Le Cœur sur la patte 85 is now appealing for donations to help fund their medical care and give them the safe, loving future they deserve, far away from the horrors of their past.
An update
Translated from the FR Wamiz website using artificial intelligence
