Dozens of dogs removed from Seminole County home adopted

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — More than 60 dogs that were living in deplorable conditions in a Seminole County home were adopted during an event on Saturday.

Seminole County Animal Services held an adoption event for 65 of the 117 dogs that were seized on Thursday. During the event, officials said 61 of the 65 dogs were adopted.

Animal services officials said the dogs that were up for adoption are healthy and well adjusted. Most of the dogs are small breeds, including some purebred Chihuahuas, Yorkies and Malteses.

Officials said a total of 117 dogs were removed from the home on Castile Drive in Altamonte Springs, where the blind homeowner was forced to live in the garage due to the conditions of the home.

Aside from some needed shots and some spaying and neutering, the dogs were generally healthy, officials said.

According to authorities, they received an anonymous tip about dogs. When officers arrived, they found the home packed with the animals, 58 of which were crammed into a single room.

The home was filled with feces, and the dogs had matted hair and some paw problems, officials said.

Officials said the homeowner, Leo Durphy, is not facing charges because he voluntarily surrendered the pets, though his home will soon be condemned due to the condition it's in.

Animal services said it was more important to get the dogs to safety than to worry about charges, and because they were well taken care of, it does not necessarily constitute an animal cruelty charge.

"They were cared for, it's just the environment they were living in was horrendous," said Animal Services manager Morgan Woodward.

Some of the dogs were only weeks old, and officials said they have already been placed in foster care.

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