GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Frightened and confused dogs slowly appeared from the back of an animal control truck Tuesday, not realizing their lives were about to change.

Clay County Animal Control workers and volunteers gave each dog – 94 of them – time to adjust to its new surroundings before carefully placing it in a new pen at the Clay County Fairgrounds.

Hours earlier, the animals, including eight six-day-old puppies, were “overwhelming” a woman at a house in Middleburg. The homeowner called Animal Control last week to voluntarily surrender ownership of the animals. After days of planning, the county examined each animal Tuesday before they were removed to start the process of finding new homes.

In coordination with Clay County Fire Rescue, the Division of Emergency Management, the Sheriff’s Office and Animal Services, dozens of cats and dogs will likely find a loving home.

Most of the animals were medically cleared to be filtered through area shelters, including Clay County Animal Services and Safe Animal Shelter in Middleburg and S.A.F.E. Pet Rescue St. Augustine.

Unlike the seizure of 266 “mistreated” dogs, pigs, chickens, goats, turtles, pigeons, quails, duck and a goose on a lot on Old Jennings Road in 2021, the county was better prepared to handle the sudden influx of animals.

“You will remember we had experience with helping pull animals into a central location after the animal seizure a couple of years back, although we had a completely different reason why this one happened,” said Mike Ladd, the director of emergency management.

“Some of that organizational memory, that muscle memory, we pulled out a lot of lessons learned and were informed by those. Honestly, we’ve got a really good partnership with Animal Services. All we had to do was work through some fine details,” he said.

According to animal services program manager Courtney Sumner, most of the animals collected were in good shape.

More than a dozen animal services trucks took 13 cats and a few of the dogs to the county’s kennel. The rest went to the fairgrounds, where each dog was placed in a pen with fresh food and water.

Ladd praised the woman’s difficult decision to call Animal Control.

“The woman realized she couldn’t handle it,” he said. “And so instead of letting the situation deteriorate where the animals would have gone downhill, they were rescued and in relatively good shape.

“Without going into specifics, the pet owner communicated that she could no longer care for these animals. She agreed to accept the county’s assistance. More personally, I want to personally thank the multiple agencies who have so professionally supported this effort. And most importantly, to her for making a very difficult decision.”

The sheriff’s office said the woman, who wasn’t identified, won’t face any charges since she voluntarily surrendered the animals. Residents, particularly in rural areas, don’t need licenses to own animals, Ladd said.

The plan now is to have many animals adopted at animal services, while the county has reached out to several animal shelters to ensure all of them find new homes.

Until they all are in “forever” homes, the county again will ask its residents to help.

In addition to donations at Safe Animal Shelter, Animal Services and the county’s website, claycountygov.com/Home/Components/News, the county needs volunteers to walk the dogs at the fairgrounds. Shifts are from 8 a.m. to noon and noon to 4 p.m.

It also needs slip leads, puppy pads, wet and dry dog food, WypAll, Pup-Peroni, easy cheese, pill pockets, Kongs of assorted sizes, towels, contractor bags and dog waste holders. Those items can be dropped off at the fairgrounds Exhibit Hall 2 during business hours.

The county said it will update its information on when and how the animals can be adopted.

If you want to help or have questions, call (904) 529-4256.

The county also wanted to remind residents its animal services department is ready to help owners through difficult animal ownership decisions during regular business hours. You can also find a list of resources on the county’s website to help owners deal with behavioral issues, and it offers pet food assistance.