Corpus Christi (KIII News) — In early February, Kevin Spain had all 80 of his dogs seized from his home. Initially, he was cited and fined by Animal Care Services -- he said in total he has paid nearly $9,000 in penalties.
However, Spain is fighting to get six of his furry friends back.
Spain said his love for dogs started to grow about 10 years ago.
"At one time I had six, less than six dogs," Spain said.
He said the six dogs quickly multiplied because he couldn't afford to get them fixed or receive help from local animal organizations.
"This wasn't just, 'Oh I collect dogs, now I'm going to keep them.' That was never my intention," Spain said.
His canine population continued to grow while the space in his home and yard shrunk. Spain said he had to keep most of them inside, which lead to uninhabitable conditions.
"I got overwhelmed just trying to find homes for the dogs, going to rescues," Spain said.
Spain claimed he kept the dogs because he couldn't find good homes and determined it was better to keep all of them instead of surrendering them to Animal Control. Eventually, that's exactly what he had to do.
On Wednesday, Spain appeared before Judge Timothy McCoy to listen to an Animal Control officer testify about the day she discovered the dogs.
"We did notice hair loss, staining from feces, being in their own feces, on their fur, long nails," Officer Aleecia Yesh said.
Yesh was first inside of Spain's home. She took the stand to describe the smells, sights and conditions of the dogs.
"Just generally poor conditions, some of them were underweight," Yesh said.
Yesh explained how floors and walls were covered with feces and after the investigation, they found empty food and water bowls.
Spain disputed the officer's description and added that he took care of the dogs as best as he could.
"It wasn't neglect, that I didn't want to take care of the dogs. It was just I didn't have enough time to spend with each individual dog every day," Spain said.
Spain explained he will not stop fighting to get six of his beloved dogs back, and if he can't get them back, he has one wish.
"I just want to check on the dogs to make sure they're okay," Spain said.
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