Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control officers recently arrested a woman and rescued 34 dogs and one cat from an “unsanitary home” near the Oasis Market in Catheys Valley, according to reporting from the Mariposa Gazette weekly newspaper.
The raid, rescue and arrest took place on March 17 at 2679 Highway 140. Deputies arrested Elizabeth Lopez-Calderon, 56, and charged her with felony animal cruelty and a misdemeanor charge of failure to care for an animal. She has pleaded not guilty and was placed on supervised release.
The sheriff’s office called it one of the worst animal hoarding cases they have encountered in recent years. A total of 34 dogs were taken in by two rescue operations.
One dog and one cat were euthanized due to “poor health and advanced age.” Another dog is in quarantine because it bit an Animal Control Officer.
Most of the dogs removed were terrier mixes, with a few Chihuahua and poodle mixes.
The home, located within the Porta Yosemite mobile home park has been on Animal Control’s radar since September 2025, when it received a report about “many, many” dogs locked inside the home and living in unsanitary conditions.