Dozens of Canine, Cats Eliminated From Danville Residence – CBS San Francisco
WALNUT CREEK (KPIX) – Dozens of cats and dogs were removed from a house in Danville on Friday. The Contra Costa Animal Services called it a hoarding situation, but the homeowner said the pets are part of a charitable rescue and are waiting to be adopted.
“I just want the public to know this wasn’t a hoarding situation,” said Bob Tarozzi, president and co-founder of the White Kitty Foundation, a nonprofit animal rescue based in his Danville home. “The animals were well looked after.”
“We tried to find her at home. They all came from lists on which the districts, the different districts, would put them to sleep. You know, if we hadn’t saved them, they would have been dead, ”Tarozzi explained.
He said the pandemic forced them to cancel public adoption events.
Since Bob has prostate cancer, his wife Cris Tarozzi, who also co-founded the non-profit organization, looked after around 75 dogs and 25 cats. He said volunteers helped feed and clean the animals.
“My wife had a stroke on Wednesday night,” said Tarozzi. “I’m not physically fit enough to look after all of these animals. Yes, we had a lot of animals. Did we have too many? Possibly. It’s subjective. But they were well taken care of. I have thousands of dollars worth of medical bills from vets to prove it. “
Bob said his wife was still in the hospital so he called other rescue groups to get the cats and dogs.
On Friday, Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), the Berkeley Humane Society and The East Bay SPCA took in 42 pets in Oakland. The Contra Costa Animal Services received 37 cats and dogs. Contra Costa Animal Services said six dogs had to be euthanized due to pre-existing conditions.
One of the dogs that stayed at Bob and Cris Tarozzi’s house in Danville. (CBS)
Tarozzi kept five dogs and 10 cats because they are too old to be adopted.
“It was very heartbreaking for me to lose them, but I knew that I couldn’t take care of them and that their best chances were with these other groups,” said Tarozzi.
Tarozzi hopes the families will adopt the cats and dogs. He’s furious that Contra Costa Animal Services called it a hoarding situation in a public statement on its Facebook page.
“It’s very annoying for me to lose the animals, have my wife in the hospital, be in my physical condition and then have someone turn around and stab us in the back,” said Tarozzi.
The district authority was closed on Sunday and KPIX could not reach anyone there for comment.
As for pet adoption, it will take time for workers to test the pet’s temperament and health. Individuals interested in adoption should check with ARF, Berkeley Humane, SPCA in Oakland, and Contra Costa Animal Services.
