In what must rank as a world record, animal-welfare officers in France have discovered a total of 340 dogs living in a single house near the north-eastern city of Nancy.
The dogs — a mixture of chihuahuas, Yorkshire terriers, Belgian griffons and German spitzes — were confined to the first floor of the house in the village of Marbache and had been interbreeding for years, officials said.
They appeared to have been well fed, but their conditions were described as filthy.
The owners, a couple in their 50s who lived on the ground floor, were “visibly unable to cope”, said Catherine Nicoley, of the Veterinary Services Directorate.
Police spent two days removing the dogs on the orders of the state prosecutor, and they have been taken to local kennels.
“We are slightly overstretched. What we need is some volunteers to help look after them all,” said Evelyne Vandamme of the Society for the Protection of Animals. — AFP