KEY POINTS

  • 118 dogs were rescued from Florida pair
  • Articas, 53, and Grau, 78, hoarded the dogs and neglected them
  • The owners were arrested

About 118 dogs were rescued from a northern Florida home on Tuesday in a case the local sheriff said to be "the worst case of animal hoarding and neglect" he had ever seen.

In a Fox News report, the officers of Suwannee County Sheriff's Office were called to a house in Live Oak on 7000 Walker Place to investigate suspicions of animal cruelty when they found 118 dogs within a fenced area inside the property.

"Most of the dogs were in need of veterinary care for a variety of conditions, as a result of neglect," officials stated. "All of the dogs rescued from the property were surrendered to the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office by the owners, which allows the dogs to be immediately adopted out to loving homes once they are medically cleared."

The owners, Live Oak residents Cheryl Grau Articas, 53, and William Richard Grau, 78, were arrested on charges of 118 counts of felony animal cruelty.

Xoloitzcuintles (ancient Mexican hairless dogs) play next to a Xoloitzcuintle statue in the garden of the Dolores Olmedo Museum in Mexico City
Xoloitzcuintles (ancient Mexican hairless dogs) play next to a Xoloitzcuintle statue in the garden of the Dolores Olmedo Museum in Mexico City AFP / Omar TORRES
Florida