MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Authorities have rescued 100 animals from a property west of Hobe Sound in what the Martin County Sheriff's Office is calling the worst animal hoarding case it has ever encountered, and the number continues to grow.
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On Monday, authorities removed 80 cats and 12 dogs from the property. The Humane Society of the Treasure Coast has since taken in three more cats and 5 more dogs, bringing the total to 83 cats and 17 dogs.
Staff discovered 12 microchips among the animals — 11 in the cats and one in a dog. Only two of those microchips were registered. Investigators traced one chip to its owner, but that person died last year.
Dozens of hopeful pet owners lined up outside the Humane Society Friday morning, hoping to be reunited with their missing animals.
"At 10 o'clock we had a line wrapped around the building. I think about 80 people came through between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., hoping to identify their pets," Sarah Fisher, spokesperson for the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast, told WPTV. "Unfortunately, every single one of them left in tears. We didn't make a single identification, and that's heartbreaking."
The Humane Society said this will not be the last chance for people to reclaim their pets. More identification days are planned, and the organization is asking anyone who believes they may have an animal there to submit photos and descriptions to help make a match.
Once every effort has been made to reunite the animals with their owners, the Humane Society will begin the adoption process.
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