Rescued dogs available for adoption
One of the 37 dogs looks out of its stall at the Flathead County Shelter on Wednesday. Some of the dogs were given sweaters because they had to be shaved. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)
Dozens of dogs confiscated during a hoarding case last month are available for adoption after their owner relinquished the rights to the animals to the county, according to the Flathead County Animal Shelter.
“We have been waiting for a court order on the relinquishment of those dogs and we got that this morning,” director of the shelter Cliff Bennett said on Thursday. “Now, we can start down the path of trying to find new homes for those dogs.”
As of Thursday, roughly seven of the rescued dogs had been cleared for adoptions. Bennett said the remaining dogs still need to be spayed or neutered before finding a new home. He said veterinarians have to wait to operate on a portion of those animals until their health improves.
The dogs arrived at the county shelter in February after Flathead County Sheriff’s officers responded to the home just outside of Kalispell limits and found the animals living in roughly 4 inches of their own feces.
At the time, the shelter took 37 dogs in the seizure. However, Bennett said two had to be euthanized due to major health issues.
“There’s a third one that probably isn’t going to make it,” he said. “Obviously it’s tricky when an animal’s suffering but it isn’t officially county property.”
Flathead County Sheriff’s Office could not be reached for comment regarding whether the owner will face any charges.
In Montana hoarding cases, the animals that officers remove from conditions deemed inhumane are in a middle ground until the case is resolved. The animals are considered the property of the owner, though the cost for the care falls to the county — meaning the dogs can’t go home and they can’t be adopted.
The most recent hoarding case included small dogs of various breeds.
Bennett said each dog arrived to the shelter with their fur coated in feces. He said some fur was so far gone, the dogs had to be shaved. In those situations, the animals’ coats were replaced with donated dog sweaters.
Animal hoarding cases cost Montana animal shelters thousands of dollars each year.
Bennett said the county shelter spends roughly $25 a day, per seized dog. For the 35 dogs seized last month, that adds up to almost $900 each day.
He said the shelter will continue to care for the dogs until they’re adopted.
“It was nice for them after being removed from their previous surroundings to be together,” Bennett said.
For more information about the Flathead County Animal Shelter, call 406-752-1310 or go to https://flathead.mt.gov/animal/.
Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.