ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — On Tuesday night, the SPCA of Northeastern North Carolina in Elizabeth City received a call. They were going to be receiving some dogs that had been rescued from a neglectful hoarding situation.
They originally thought, as they wrote in a post on Facebook, that they would be receiving around 25 to 30 dogs.
"That’s bad enough, right?" the SPCA posted. "Well that turned into 72 dogs. Even though we saw it, it’s still hard to completely process."
The total count of hounds by Wednesday morning became 73, all from the same home.
"People started showing up asking how they could help," the SPCA posted, "And WOW, did they help in a big way."
All kinds of organizations in the area came out to support the SPCA, including Pasquotank County Animal Control, Southern Hope Animal Rescue & Education and Cliff's Coonhound Rescue and Trapping. But most importantly, they said, the community members who answered their call for help.
"We need help cleaning and walking these dogs," the SPCA wrote. "We not only have them but also the dogs that were already here."
Laurie Edwards, board member of the SPCA of Northeastern North Carolina, said volunteers were coming in "night and day" to bathe, walk and feed the dogs, and to get them socialized.
While some rescues have already come out to claim some dogs, Edwards said, she and the SPCA told 13News Now they still really need help with the sheer amount of dogs to take care of.
"They are lovely, and they are sweet, and they are docile," said Edwards. "We are really sad for them, but I personally am really happy for them, because we've gotten them out of such a horrible, horrible life."
"I'm hoping that with our great staff, our volunteers, the rescues that come out, and then ultimately the people who adopt them, they'll live a better life," she added.
If you are interested in helping out, their Facebook page is SPCA of Northeastern North Carolina, where they have posted a lot of information and updates on how to help the dogs.