Woman says she provided home for 400 animals

DENVER, N.C. -- More than 400 animals of all kinds were taken by Animal Control Officers from a home in Lincoln County.

Now, the home owner is speaking out while rescuers search for more volunteers to care for the pets.

A large medical board inside the temporary shelter in Denver shows just how complicated the operation is. Every one of the animals need continuing medical care and that doesn’t include the other animals that just need food, water and exercise everyday.

The director of Lincoln County Animal Control, Jack Kerley says, “A large percentage (of the confiscated animals) have either an illness or a defect.”

Back at their former home in Denver, former caretaker Vicki Rauch calls the new silence of the empty pens and kennels heartbreaking.

More images of the rescued animals

“When you spend your entire life with animals and then they’re gone, there’s nothing to live for,” Rauch said.

Rauch says she rescued and cared for the hundreds of animals from mice to horses.

“It’s like a sanctuary, a place for an animal to stay and live out their life without being put to sleep,” she said.

She admits to having more pets than she would like to.

“Ideally, I would only like to have 50 animals on the property, well 50 dogs,” Rauch said.

But she can’t understand the allegations of neglect by neighbors and officers.

She feels targeted by a County Commissioner running for re-election.

“I told him, 'Well I’m doing rescue work.' He said, 'Well that’s not important compared to these people should be able to go outside without dogs barking,'” Rauch said.

But rescuers say any family of four like Rauch’s would have been overwhelmed by such a large group of animals.

Kerley says, “I’ve got between 15 to 20 people here right now, plus people coming in, plus vets and vet techs.”

Rescuers say since all of these animals already belong to someone they cannot be adopted. Instead it will be up to a judge to decide where they will go next and when that will happen.

Until then they’ll have to stay in the makeshift shelter and that’s why they’re in desperate need of volunteers.

Anyone wanting to help can go to the shelter to sign up for a schedule. The shelter is off of Highway 16 in Denver by the R-Anell housing warehouse.