40 Belgian Malinois Rescued from Queens Apartment — Hidden in Closets, Cupboards, and Darkness
In what rescuers are calling “one of the most heartbreaking hoarding cases” they have ever seen, 40 Belgian Malinois were found crowded into a New York City apartment, living in filthy conditions.
“The dogs – ranging from young puppies to full-grown adults – had allegedly never been outside prior to their rescue. Some were discovered inside closets and cupboards or packed into tight spaces with no access to fresh air or sunlight,” Animal Care Centers (ACC) wrote in a press release.
ACC shelters are already well beyond capacity, but there was no way they could leave the dogs where they were. They coordinated with the ASPCA and 10 other rescue organizations to bring the dogs to safety.
“These dogs have reportedly lived in total confinement for their entire lives,” said Tara Mercado, ACC’s Director of Behavior & Shelter Operations. “We found full-grown Malinois hidden in cabinets and crammed behind furniture.”
They shared a video of the dogs’ rescue on TikTok:
Most of the dogs are extremely fearful and under-socialized and will need long-term behavioral support. Despite having been denied the care a pet should receive, Dr. Biana Tamimi, ACC’s Director of Shelter Medicine, wrote, “Every new sound, every human interaction, is overwhelming. But we’re already seeing glimmers of curiosity – and that gives us hope.”
German Shepherds were also rescued from the cramped apartment. Both breeds are highly intelligent and energetic but will require rescuers with breed experience to help them. Thankfully, every dog is now safe and placed with ACC’s New Hope rescue partners.
Neighbors in the apartment building had noticed the smell for a while but never thought there were so many dogs in the unit. The owner has yet to be publicly identified, but The NY Post reported that the dogs lived in a 7th-floor apartment and that neighbors said the entire floor smelled bad, with the owner seen throwing feces off his balcony.
“We always wondered, ‘Why does it smell so bad, if it was that dog that just peed all around?’” one neighbor, who declined to provide his name, said. “We all assumed there were two or three dogs in there, we would never have imagined that they were that many, we never saw them ever, anywhere.”
The dogs are all being walked for the first time, bathed and cared for and given time to decompress.
The NY ACC shelter is currently over capacity and out of space so they are waiving adoption fees for all large dogs through May. If you are unable to adopt, please consider emergency fostering. To see the pets they have available for adoption and fostering visit the ACC website.
The rescue partners included in this rescue are Zion’s Mission, Posh Pets Rescue, Greenfield Pets Animal Rescue, Korean K9 Rescue, Malinois & Dutch Shepherd Rescue, Char-Wills German Shepherd Rescue, Almost Home Rescue & Adoptions, Inc., Every Last One Rescue, Stacy Hope Rescue.