Denton police seized four cats and a dog Wednesday from the vacant home of a couple who claimed the city owed them $206,000 for mistakenly killing their dog in May.

According to police and neighbors, Shawn Snider and Beth Bayless-Snider left the pets behind after moving out of a rental home on Hillcrest Street nearly two weeks ago.

DRC/Al Key

Denton Animal Control Officer Calvin Sanders walks a dog to his truck to take it to the city animal shelter Wednesday. Neighbors said the owners left the dog and four cats at 1009 Hillcrest St. when they moved out of the house.

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Neighbors said they’d been leaving food and water for the animals and working to find new homes for them.

Reached by phone, Shawn Snider said he moved out because he could not afford the rent, but he refused to talk about the animals. He told police he’d visited the home to check on their welfare, police spokesman Jim Bryan said.

The Sniders relinquished ownership of the pets to the Denton animal shelter and likely won’t face animal abandonment charges, Bryan said. The animals will be available for adoption immediately, he said.

The Sniders gained widespread media attention after the animal shelter mistakenly euthanized their dog May 15, a day before they’d arranged to retrieve it. They demanded $206,000 for the loss, but the city recently settled their claim for $500, city spokesman John Cabrales said.

The city also apologized for the error and suspended two shelter workers in connection with the case.

DRC/Lowell Brown

A cat, one of four seized Wednesday by Denton animal control officers, is shown in the front yard of a residence in the 1000 block of Hillcrest Street.

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Police and animal control officers investigated the vacant home Wednesday after the Denton Record-Chronicle received complaints about animals apparently abandoned there.

Officers seized four cats roaming the front yard. They also received a warrant from municipal court to take a black Labrador mix from the fenced-in backyard, Bryan said.

Police had no evidence that any animals were inside the home, he said.

No one answered the door at the home Wednesday morning.

Landlord William Rowe had left a note near the door saying the Sniders had until midnight Wednesday to remove their pets and other belongings or risk losing them.

Rowe could not be reached for comment.

LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com.