Animal Rescue League finds 31 dogs, 2 birds crowded into flea-infested Des Moines home

A local nonprofit rescued 31 dogs and two birds Tuesday afternoon from a flea-infested Des Moines home that had floors covered in layers of feces and urine.

Officials from Animal Rescue League of Iowa reportedly entered a home in Des Moines and found the animals crammed into a small space, the nonprofit said in a statement.

The space was so tight that rescuers could barely move around, the nonprofit said.

“Floors in every room were coated with layers of dog feces, and urine stood in puddles on the warped flooring,” the statement said. “The dogs were covered in fleas, and some had scabbing and significant hair loss.”

Dogs were as young as one week old, the nonprofit said.

Most of the dogs have dental problems and one will require eye surgery for an untreated condition, the nonprofit said.

A woman that lives in the home has been cited and released in connection with the incident, said Sgt. Paul Parizek with the Des Moines Police Department.

This is the second time the nonprofit has performed a rescue at the same house.

“Sadly, this wasn’t the first time animals had to be rescued from this home,” the statement said. “In 2019, 26 animals were rescued from similar living conditions.”

José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for the Register. Reach him at jmendiola@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Animal Rescue League of Iowa rescues 33 animals from Des Moines home