‘Just heartbreaking’: RACC rescues nearly 60 animals from ‘horrific’ conditions

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A deplorable discovery revealed nearly 60 animals were battered and cooped up inside a home in Richmond.

19 dogs, 33 cats, a pot belly pig, a rabbit, a turtle, and a raccoon were rescued from the home Friday night and immediately taken into care at Richmond Animal Care and Control.

“All of them needed immediate intervention, which we typically don’t see in such a large volume - we just kept finding more,” Christie Chipps-Peters, director at RACC.

RACC did not say which part of town or how long the animals stayed in those conditions.

It was unlike any rescue director Chipps-Peters had seen in the last 10 years she’s worked at the shelter.

“Overall, it probably is the worst - it’s one of the worst cases I’ve ever seen and that I think our staff has ever worked,” Chipps-Peters said. “And it’s just heartbreaking that animals are living in that environment and in that situation, and we are grateful as a staff to be able to help them,” she said.

The rescue came at a time when the shelter was nearing capacity, but they had no choice but to make room.

Chipps-Peters couldn’t share many details about their investigation but says several tips from the community led them to the animals expected to recover.

“The horrors that we see seem to be getting worse. We think we’ve seen everything that you can come up with that’s bad and ugly, and then someone else supersedes that,” she said.

She said they are now keeping watch on other situations like this and are asking the community to do the same.

“Every person that thinks they see something, please let us know. Because it takes many people seeing something for us to put together enough to be able to move forward,” Chipps-Peters said.

There’s no word on who’s responsible, but Chipps-Peters said they are facing felony animal cruelty and neglect charges.

The animals will not be up for adoption at RACC. Instead, they’ll be sent to shelters outside of Richmond to ensure they don’t wind up back in the hands of the previous owner.

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