55 Dogs Found In Home After Fire

A northeast El Paso fire turned into quite the operation for firefighters tasked with battling flames and rescuing a family of three and 55 dogs.

The fire broke out in the 12400 block of Roadrunner just after 1 a.m. Friday morning.

“The family stated it started with five dogs and it just got out of control,” operations manager, Hugo Navarro said. “They found 55 chihuahuas in urine and feces.”

The owners could get cited with violations related to vaccinations, rabies and microchipping the animals.

“It does break my heart,” Navarro said. “Right now our intent is just find good homes for these dogs.”

Veterinarians said the best home for many of the dogs is at the animal shelter.

“All of these dogs appear to be unspayed and unneutured,” Dr. Bernie Page said. “So there’s been inbreeding. They all look remarkably similar in nature.”

Page said inbreeding may have led to hydrocephalous, a condition one dog died from on Friday.

“It’s a sad situation, just spay and neuter your pets,” Navarro said. “If you’re getting overwhelmed, call us. We’ll help.”