MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Two women were charged with 94 counts of animal cruelty in connection to a McAllen hoarding case, police announced.
Cindy Ann Wells, 55, and Leticia Sanders, 54, were arrested Saturday after a report from an Uber Eats driver led to a discovery of nearly 100 pets in a McAllen home.
On Saturday morning, the Uber Eats driver called the police regarding an odor at the 3400 block of Ozark Avenue.
Responding officers requested McAllen Fire Department and ambulance services at the scene. Once inside, first responders found a large number of dogs inside the residence.
McAllen Animal Control rescued 93 dogs and one cat inside the home.
The pets were later transported to the Palm Animal Society where they are being fostered and transferred to rescue groups across Texas.
“They are very, very matted, some can barely walk, due to their feet being tied together by their hair,” said Faith Wright, the Palm Valley Animal Society director of operations. “It’s been a pretty traumatic situation.”
She added that, as of Sunday, 22 dogs have been left for rescue and six are in foster. The rest of the animals are expected to be picked up on Monday.
Wright said the dogs will be transported to rescue groups in San Antonio and New Braunfels. She added that 10 to 15 dogs will be given per rescue group.
Wells and Sanders were arraigned on Monday and received a $188,000 bond each.
Both women will be transferred to the Hidalgo County Jail.