40 dogs, 9 cats removed from Utica home

Neighbors say they could smell animals, heard barking

UTICA, Mich. – Dozens of animals were removed from a Utica home on Thursday.

Police said 40 dogs and 9 cats were taken to the Macomb County Animal Control after they were found in a home on Nancy Street, which is near Van Dyke and Hall Road.

“I’m not a hoarder,” Kim Klee said. “These are not my dogs, these are my life.”

Neighbors Local 4 spoke with said the home has been known to have a lot of animals for years, and they could smell and hear them. 

“I’ve had brain surgery and they are my therapy dogs,” Klee said. “I took good care of my dogs.”

Police haven’t said whether the large amount of animals was part of a hoarding situation or if the homeowner was breeding them.