What started as a Marietta house fire Friday morning has left two dogs dead.
Cobb County firefighters arrived at 3775 Cherokee Trail Drive about 9:20 a.m. to find smoke coming from the home’s basement, said fire spokeswoman Denell Boyd. They found 24 dogs on the property, including six puppies and an adult dog inside a baby’s playpen on the front yard.
The fire appears to be accidental, Boyd said, but remains under investigation.
Once the flames were under control, firefighters walked up to the front door and could hear dogs whimpering in the back yard and on the side of the house.
“The smell of the area was very rancid,” according to a Cobb County police report.
Firefighters found kennels containing numerous piles of old and new feces along with old food and bowls of water with green algae.
Police said it isn’t clear if the two dogs that died were killed in the fire or from something else.
The homeowner said not all the dogs were his. He and two others were cited by police for various violations. He asked that the county take the dogs because his home was destroyed.
Boyd said four adults and seven children lived in the home.
She said on Tuesday that about half of the 10 adult dogs, between ages 4 and 8, had been adopted.
As for the puppies that survived — some a week old — they are still being cared for by county staff to see if they’ll be healthy enough for adoption or go to a rescue shelter, she said.
The adult dogs and puppies were of various breeds, mostly American Bully.
“It’s ridiculous to have so many puppies there,” Boyd said.
Cobb is running a $10 summer adoption special through August for cats and dogs that have been spayed or neutered.
The Cobb County Animal Control, 1060 Al Bishop Drive in Marietta, is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday and from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Ex-11Alive reporter Donna Lowry leaving Cobb schools for Fulton job:
About the Author
