GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Charges have been filed against a woman who was allegedly hoarding dozens of dogs inside her northeast Grand Rapids home.
We first told you about this story in November, and a few weeks ago we told you that nearly 40 dogs were seized from the house.
Kimberly Savino was taken into custody on Tuesday for animal neglect charges.
Neighbors said that they are over joyed that the dogs have stayed out of the home for several weeks.
“They said that it’s quiet. It’s eerie. We aren’t used to it. It’s been a lot of years since it’s been this quiet, but we are happy,” said neighbor Jon Lovell.
Savino was booked into the Kent County Jail on Tuesday, charged with animal cruelty for allegedly hoarding dozens of dogs inside the home.
We knocked on the door again on Thursday, but no one answered.
A few weeks ago, Kent County Animal Control removed 39 dogs from inside.
Jon Lovell has lived next door for over two decades. Lovell said that having Savino as a neighbor has been a nightmare.
“I’m glad to hear that they are finally doing something about this, you know to take care of the dogs. Hopefully they will take care of the problem that we have in the City of Grand Rapids,” said Lovell.
FOX 17 has obtained picture of the dogs inside crates, stacked ontop of each other.
We first caught up with Savino in November, asking if we could see up close the conditions the animals were living in. She denied our request, adding that she had to leave for a medical appointment.
Neighbors said that Savino researched Grand Rapids and moved from the east coast after discovering the city doesn’t have a limit on how many dogs can live inside one home.
The Creston Neighborhood Association has had meetings on the issue, and residents are pushing city leaders to revise their animal ordinance to prevent a possible hoarding situation from happening again.
“We are hoping that we can the city commissioners and get the mayor on board and get an ordinance like most all cities in Michigan, and so this won’t happen to anyone else or another neighborhood in Grand Rapids like mine,” said Lovell.
Animal control said that all 39 dogs are being kept in a separate area of the animal shelter and the dogs could eventually be available for adoption.
