FLINT TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The Flint Township Police Department searched a home on Tuesday morning and discovered what officers described as “overwhelming filth,” toxic air and dozens of dead and living animals inside, according to a statement on the department’s official Facebook page.
Behind the front door, “was not a ‘bad smell.’ It was not ‘a few animals in poor condition,’” the department wrote. “It was overwhelming filth. It was toxic air. It was death.”
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Ammonia levels inside the home tested at a hazardous concentration, police said. The air burned officers’ eyes and lungs, and conditions were so severe that they had to work in shifts because staying inside for extended periods was unsafe.
“Now consider the animals who had no choice,” the department said.
Officers found 61 dogs and three cats alive in the home, surrounded by piles of feces, rotting furniture and air quality “that no living creature should be forced to endure,” according to the department.
They also discovered 26 dead dogs and one dead cat. The deceased animals were found inside trash bags near the front door “as if they were garbage waiting to be taken out,” police said. “Lives reduced to trash bags.”
“This was not a temporary lapse in judgment,” the statement said. “Conditions like this do not happen overnight. This was prolonged suffering.”
Police said they documented the scene and removed every living animal “through conditions that were physically revolting and emotionally draining, because those animals had no one else in that moment.”
“Sixty-four animals are now safe,” the department said. “Animal cruelty thrives in silence. If you suspect neglect or abuse, report it. Early action saves lives.”
“Today was hard. But today, suffering stopped. And in Flint Township, that matters,” the post said.
The department said the investigation is ongoing and extended “sincere appreciation” to Genesee County Animal Control, saying the animals would not have been rescued, transported and cared for without the agency’s “immediate response, expertise, and unwavering commitment.”
According to the department, donations of food or other pet supplies can be made directly to Genesee County Animal Control.
The account of the rescue was published on the Flint Township Police Department’s official Facebook page.