Suburban Animal Rescue welcomes dozens of Chihuahuas rescued from hoarding situation – NBC Chicago

Firefighters responding to a blaze in northwest Indiana this week were horrified to find more than 80 cats and dogs living inside a home, and a suburban animal shelter was mobilized to help some of these animals find new homes.

Border Tails, in the suburb of Northbrook, loaded up his van on Wednesday morning and took in 43 dogs, all of whom are Chihuahua mixes.

The cats that were inside the home were safely transported to other shelters, officials said.

Footage from inside the house showed the squalid conditions the animals lived in, and it touched Harleigh Garcia’s heart.

“The first thing is I saw the footage of the hoarding situation, and for me, that was the tearful moment,” she said. “There are pictures of puppies and cats, and they’re all snuggled up together, with…tiny newborn puppies and kittens.”

Garcia says she felt compelled to help after seeing the footage.

“I don’t think they were looking for us to take them all at once,” she said. “It’s a lot to take on as an organization, but we have the space and the resources.”

The Border Tails team spent the day microchipping the dogs, testing them for heartworm, and providing love and comfort before meeting with vets.

“There are a lot of Chihuahua lovers out there…I’m glad they’re not in that situation anymore,” she said.

Garcia says her goal now is to help dogs find forever homes and families who will love them unconditionally.

“I’m really excited about what their future holds, and whoever adopts them will be really lucky,” she said.

The shelter says it will be accepting foster family applications in the coming days, with adoption applications opening next week. More information can be found on the Border Tails website.