Sheriff's deputies remove more than 30 dogs from "hoarder house" in Vallejo

Now to Solano County, where the sheriff's office says they are removing dozens of dogs from what they are calling a hoarder's house in Vallejo. Neighbors say the yard has been a nuisance for years with noise and odors. KTVU's Jana Katsuyama is there and spoke to the daughter of the owner, and she joins us live now with details. Jana? Claudine, the sheriff's office came earlier this morning, and they are still here at the scene. I'm going to move away so you can see right behind me an animal control vehicle. That is because they are removing the animals from this location. So far, they tell me that at least 15 dogs have been removed, but there are many more. The owner I did speak with, and she says there are at least 35 here at this property, which she says belongs to her mother. This is all part of an investigation into a complaint. Solano County Animal Control and the Sheriff's Office said they found dozens and dozens of dogs at the home on Carolina Street in Vallejo. We're conducting a search warrant that has to deal with an animal cruelty case. It's active and ongoing. This is what would be considered a hoarder house. An animal hoarder house, according to the sheriff's office, that had been the source of numerous complaints. This video taken by a neighbor shows animal control officers Thursday morning at 838 Carolina Street. Deputies say they found animal waste inside the house and dozens of dogs in cramped quarters. I started California Carolina Dogs in 1999, and my girlfriend's husband got a little website for me. Susan Anthony told us there were more than 35 dogs on the property, and the dogs belonged to her 99-year-old mother who lives there, because Anthony's dogs had been seized by the county in 2024. These dogs are being taken care of by other people besides my mom, okay? And I am not at liberty to say, but she has the ownership, basically, of these dogs on her property. Anthony was subject to legal action for breeding the Carolina dogs, which she says is a rare native breed. As part of the previous case, which she has appealed, Anthony is not allowed to own dogs. I have no children. I spent thousands of dollars on raising my dogs and keeping them in good shape. And I spent hours and hours in mentoring others to understand how to raise them correctly. Anthony wanted to show us the yard, but animal control officers told her she could be arrested for interfering with the warrant. Some neighbors say they have been living for years with the strong odor of dog feces and relentless barking every day. They say they're relieved the county is taking action. I'm happy that something's being done to move the dogs into a better situation and to sort of relieve the pressure on the neighborhood between the noise and the smell. And neighbors say that a few years ago, Anthony moved the dogs from her place across the street over here to her mother's place. She says that right now, her brother who lives next door is taking care of her 99-year-old mother while sheriff's deputies are here investigating the situation. But at this point, there have been no arrests and there is no word, at least for right now, plugging on whether there will be any charges. Okay. Certainly a lot of questions that need answers to at this point. Where are those dogs going, Jan? I know it's a little hard to hear, but where are they taking all those dogs now? I asked the sheriff's deputies about that because they said that there is a shelter for the county, which they share with animal control. But with this quantity of dogs, they say that they're probably going to have to kind of spread them out at different locations throughout the county. So this is a process which they say could still be hours yet before they're able to wrap up the situation here at the property. Okay. Well, I certainly hope they get the care they need. All right. Thank you, Jana.