Deputies seize 14 dogs in North Zulch animal cruelty case

The ammonia inside the house measured so high that Huntsville firefighters said they had never seen readings like it in a home.

Madison County deputies wore HazMat suits July 20 to carry 14 dogs out of the North Zulch residence, according to the Sheriff's Office. Jayne Elizabeth Taylor was arrested on a felony charge of cruelty to a non-livestock animal.

Deputies serving a search warrant found some of the dogs in wire kennels, reports said. Others wandered loose through rooms covered in feces and urine.

No dog in the house had water. What food deputies found was contaminated, according to the department.

The home had no working air conditioning. It was 87 degrees inside when the animals came out.

The Huntsville Fire Department tested the air during the seizure, and crews told deputies the ammonia levels ranked among the highest they had personally encountered in a residence.

All 14 dogs are now at the Houston Humane Society, according to officials. They will receive veterinary care there until a judge decides who keeps them at a property hearing.

The North Zulch Volunteer Fire Department, Madisonville Police Department, Madisonville Animal Control, Houston Humane Society and Animal Investigation and Response assisted in the seizure.