Dozens of dogs have been removed from a Vallejo home after Solano County Animal Control and the county sheriff’s office executed a search warrant as part of an animal cruelty investigation.
Deputies entering the property on Carolina Street on Thursday found animal waste inside the house and dogs living in cramped conditions. Sgt Rex Hawkins of the Solano County Sheriff’s Office described the property as a suspected “hoarder house”.
“We’re conducting a search warrant that has to do with an animal cruelty case that’s active and ongoing,” he said.
Vallejo animal cruelty investigation
The operation followed numerous complaints from neighbours, who said they had endured years of persistent barking and a strong smell of dog faeces.
Joanna Morrison, who lives nearby, said she was relieved that officials had intervened.
“I’m happy there’s something being done to move the dogs into a better situation and relieve the pressure on the neighbourhood with the noise and the smell,” she said.
More than 35 dogs were believed to be on the property, according to resident Susan Anthony. She said the animals belonged to her 99-year-old mother, after Anthony’s own dogs were seized by the county in 2024.
Anthony has previously faced legal action over the breeding of Carolina dogs, which she describes as a rare native breed. She is prohibited from owning dogs under an order that she has appealed.
“These dogs are being taken care of by other people other than my mom, but she has the ownership of these dogs on her property,” Anthony said.
She said she had worked with the breed since 1999 and had spent thousands of dollars raising and caring for her animals.
Anthony attempted to show reporters the property’s yard while the search was under way, but animal control officers warned that she could be arrested for interfering with the warrant.
The investigation remains active. Authorities have not announced whether charges will be brought or provided details of the dogs’ condition after they were removed from the home.
