The raid was preceded by reports from local residents and an investigation by the local police Lanaken-Maasmechelen. On Friday afternoon they found about eighty dogs. According to mayor Marino Keulen (Open Vld) this is a serious case of animal neglect. “The dogs will be removed and initially transferred to the animal shelter in Kinrooi, after which a spread will follow and other Limburg shelter centers will also take in the dogs,” says Keulen.
Barricaded
In addition to the local police, the Flemish Animal Welfare Inspectorate, the asylum center in Kinrooi and the fire brigade also took part in the seizure. The raid, which began at 10:30 a.m., first required them to force their way through the house, which the residents had barricaded. Both the man and woman have been arrested and administratively detained. They are not ready for their test. In 2018, forty dogs were already taken away from them.
Obsessive Collectors
It is therefore about so-called animal hoarding or obsessively collecting and keeping animals, in this case dogs. According to the intervention services, the living conditions were possibly the most harrowing they have ever encountered in Flanders. “It defied all imagination,” says Cologne. “There was a pungent smell of urine and feces in the house. The couple collected dogs as if they were toys. They are unable to give it the necessary care. They have also been caught before. I hope the court will do its job and sentence those involved to a lifetime ban on keeping animals. The situation is truly indescribable.”
Terrible
“I pass by here often and I’ve heard the dogs barking again in recent weeks,” says local resident Regina. “When I saw that the shutters always stayed down and the ivy was thriving, I was already afraid that it would be like in 2018. It is terrible when I now see all those dogs standing in front of the window and looking outside.”