Animals found in danger
A 67-year-old man was in sheriff’s custody after Riverside County animal control officers found more than 300 malnourished or dead dogs and cats at his trailer home in Temecula.
Elisao Jimenez was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail at the Southwest Detention Center.
The animal control officers made a gruesome discovery Friday afternoon when they responded to a call about a vicious dog in the 39000 block of Liefer Road, said Riverside County sheriff’s spokesman Javier Rodriguez.
Officers spotted two dogs running around and followed them along a dirt road to the top of a small hill, where they discovered many dead dogs, Rodriguez said.
Outside the trailer, officers found about 35 live dogs -- mostly Rottweilers and chows -- inside makeshift kennels, said Director Willa Bagwell of the Animal Friends of the Valley.
It appeared some of the dead dogs had been eaten by other canines, Bagwell said.
About 37 more dogs were found inside the trailer, she added. “The only furniture inside were two couches, and the upholstery had been chewed off,” Bagwell said.
Officers also found 32 wild cats locked inside a bathroom and a bedroom.
The man, who was renting the property, was living in another trailer on a carport next to the one that housed the animals, authorities said.
An additional 204 carcasses turned up inside black trash bags stacked inside sheds and barrels.
Most of the animals had to be euthanized. Officers were able to save one dog and nine puppies, and they will be put up for adoption after they are rehabilitated.
It took officers at least 12 hours to remove all the animals.
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