County seeks help with rescued dogs
Volunteer Robin Young plays with a dog named Buddy, one of 25 seized from a squalid trailer last week. The dogs are being kept at the Flathead County Fairgrounds and are visited by caregivers twice a day. Becky Malewitz photos/Daily Inter Lake
Volunteers Cindy Inabinin and Robin Young clean up after the dogs.
The dogs will need to be shaved because of their matted fur.
These huskies (41 of them) will need homes
What was 25 huskies found in a filthy trailer last week has become 41, with two females having litters, and the Flathead County Animal Shelter and its allies are looking for help.
The sudden burden of caring for so many dogs has been taxing on the shelter and its staff, director Kirsten Holland said.
"We don't have a disaster plan in place with an adequate location for these types of events," Holland said Monday, adding that it was fortunate to find a temporary place for the dogs in a horse barn at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.
The dogs came into the county's custody on June 25 after they were found by county animal wardens and deputies in a feces-coated trailer in Evergreen. Juanita Camille McGranor, 66, was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony.
She was released the next day under a formal house-arrest arrangement because she is not considered a threat to the community, Sheriff Mike Meehan said.
The dogs, in the meantime, have become quite the project for the shelter, animal wardens, the Flathead Spay and Neuter Task Force and the Humane Society of Northwest Montana.
"The main agencies in the valley are working together really well," Holland said.
But they also are looking to the public for help in a variety of ways: volunteer at the shelter, adopt the dogs, provide cash donations or provide adequate temporary accommodations for the dogs.
Foster homes need to have concrete floors, ventilation, light and running water, Holland said.
The day after the dogs were rescued, one of the females gave birth to a litter of eight. The following day, another female had eight puppies.
"Huskies have big litters," Holland said.
The puppies will not be ready for adoption for nine to 12 weeks and the shelter does not manage "pre-adoptions," Holland said.
"We have to make sure they are healthy. We don't do pre-adopts, so if people are interested, just stay tuned."
The dogs have been vaccinated and de-wormed, Holland said.
"Just getting them out of the trailer helped a lot," she said. "They are filthy beyond description. They've never seen a bath, they've never seen a rain shower."
They will be bathed and partially shaved by Saturday, when the adult dogs will be spayed and neutered.
Holland said she is confident all the dogs will find homes.
"Our goal is to place 100 percent of the animals. We feel they are adoptable," she said. "These animals all appear to have no behavioral or medical issues that are irredeemable."
The dogs do have issues, however.
"They are just undersocialized because they've lived in this box all their lives. They are just scared," Holland said.
To help the shelter, Holland can be reached at 752-1310 or by e-mail at: kholland@flathead.mt.gov
Flathead Shelter Friends, a nonprofit partner with the shelter, is accepting donations, which should be earmarked "Husky Rescue" and sent to P.O. Box 567, Lakeside, 59922. The group can be found online at www.flatheadshelterfriends.org.
Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com