Alright, this is one of those stories that’s tough to hear—but there is a little bit of progress here.
More than 80 dogs—82 to be exact—have been removed from a hoarding situation just outside Cabazon. And if this sounds familiar, it should. It’s the same guy authorities dealt with back in 2021, when more than 70 dogs were taken from him. Now he’s back, with even more animals, and this time it escalated into a full-on attack.
Here’s what we know. The dogs were being kept in a mix of RVs and makeshift setups—kenneled at night, roaming during the day. That’s how the attack happened. A man was seriously injured, and that’s what triggered this latest response.
Animal Services showed up in force and spent hours getting all those dogs out. They’ve now been taken to the Blythe shelter, where they’re being evaluated and quarantined for about 10 days. That’s mainly to monitor for rabies, since you can’t test for it without euthanizing the animal—and that’s something they’re trying to avoid unless absolutely necessary.
And here’s the tricky part—they don’t actually know which dogs were involved in the attack. So instead of making a drastic call, they’re watching behavior and taking a cautious approach. The good news? Officials say most of these dogs are friendly and appear to be well-fed, which gives them a real shot at being adopted.
But now comes the next challenge—space. Shelters are already full, and this situation just pushed things over the edge. So the county is asking for help. Fosters, adopters—anyone who can step up.
There are more than 30 puppies in this group alone.
As for the man responsible, authorities did things differently this time. They secured a warrant, which means they can now pursue animal cruelty charges and potentially ban him from owning animals in the future.
Bottom line? The dogs are out of a bad situation—but what happens next really depends on the community stepping in.
By: NBC Palm Springs
April 30, 2026
