FAIRHOPE, Alabama -- Survivors from a massive animal cruelty case in Summerdale and Robertsdale are slowly recovering from growling stomachs to wagging tails after two weeks of veterinary care, BARC! officials said Wednesday.

Authorities discovered hundreds of emaciated and dead animals at an abandoned rescue facility called Purple Hearted Puppies in Summerdale Thursday, Jan. 26.

Some of the animals may be healthy enough for adoption in three to four weeks, according to Dr. Stephanie Powe of the Animal Wellness Center in Fairhope.

"The majority of the animals seem to be responding to the treatment that they are receiving," Powe said. "Of course, this is a long road for them. Just like I said before, it's a marathon, not a sprint."

Members of the media met Solomon at the Animal Wellness Center Wednesday, a geriatric terrier mix rescued from the Summerdale facility. Solomon's thick fur covers the mutt's hollow rib cage and bulging vertebrae.

"Actually that night, we weren't sure if he was alive or not," Powe said, who was one of the first vets to arrive on the scene. "I would call him probably the worst that we had."

Becky Brasington, an officer with Fairhope Animal Control, has been fostering the dog. She calls him "Solomon" because of his strength, Brasington said.

After compiling a complete list, there are currently 66 dogs and 56 cats rescued from the Summerdale facility and the owner's Robertsdale home receiving care from shelters and clinics across Baldwin and Mobile counties, BARC! adoption coordinator Deneen Balistere said.

"We've never done something of this magnitude before. All of us go in every single day and rescue animals from their own little torture, but on a very small level," Balistere said. "It's a learning process. The misconception is that we're big rescues, and we're not."

All the rescues participating in the rescue effort plan to hold a "massive" adoption event at LuLu's in Gulf Shores by mid-March, Balistere said.

"We wanted to give thanks to all of the rescues that helped us that evening, without them we wouldn't have been able to pull off such a huge undertaking," Balistere said. "We're all pulling our resources together."

Some scammers have been trying to pass off unwanted pets as Summerdale rescues, according to BARC!. All of the animals retrieved during the case are at a shelter or vet clinic and well-intentioned animal lovers should exercise caution, Balistere said.

"If they're not affiliated with one of these groups, then you are not legitimately helping out a Summerdale or Robertsdale dog. This is just someone who, unfortunately, is just trying to get rid of an animal that they no longer want," Balistere said.

Despite the critter cons, the community outreach continues to pour in, Balistere said. BARC! has received 115 adoption applications and 75 foster applications since the case broke two weeks prior.

"The response from the community is still overwhelming. And it continues," Balistere said. "It's Wonderful. The vet bills for these animals to nurse them back to health is really going to be astronomical. A lot of them are heartworm positive, and that's a long term process."

Vet bills for each of the neglected may reach up to $6,000 for worst case scenarios, Powe said. Participating rescue organizations are still looking for cat litter and monetary donations.

"We lose money on each dog," Steve Williams, a board member for Furrever Homes, said.

Donations can be made to BARC! or any other participating shelter: SouthBARK and Furrever Homes in Loxley, Rivers of Love in Gulf Shores, and the Animal Rescue Foundation in Mobile.

ADOPTION EVENTS:

BARC!

PetSmart Eastern Shore Center (Spanish Fort)

Friday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

www.baldwinhumane.org

Furrever Homes Rescue

PetSmart Eastern Shore Center (Spanish Fort)

Saturday, Feb. 11, and Sunday Feb. 12, 10 a.m.-4p.m.

Animal Rescue Foundation

PetSmart at Intersection of Airport and McGregor (Mobile, Ala.)

Saturday, Feb. 11, 9 a.m.-3p.m.

SouthBARK

Tractor Supply Co. (Summerdale)

Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Rivers of Love and Baldwin County Animal Shelter

Tractor Supply Co. (Robertsdale)

Feb. 25, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.