County shelter still nearly full even after abandoned huskies find new homes
Rob Berryhill, a Flathead County Animal Shelter Keeper, visits with some of the husky-mix pups that were abandoned up the Hungry Horse Reservoir last month. (Chris Peterson photo)
All of the dogs that were abandoned up the Hungry Horse Reservoir have gone to new homes, but an influx of new animals has the county shelter at near capacity.
“However, we have more dogs than ever,” said Cliff Bennett, director of the Flathead County Animal Shelter, last week. “We’re having a terrible run on owner surrenders.”
Bennett said the animal shelter has 42 dog kennels. On Friday, 40 were full.
He said fewer landlords are accepting pets as the housing crunch in the Flathead continues. Dog owners, in turn, are finding they have to give up their pets.
Earlier this fall, a total of 18 dogs — all of them husky mixes — were abandoned up the Hungry Horse Reservoir near Doris Creek in late September.
One woman shot one of the dogs and allegedly skinned it — thinking it was a wolf. The woman posted photos of the dog on social media. That story brought national and international attention by news media outlets.
The woman, Amber Rose Barnes, has since been cited for animal cruelty — a misdemeanor charge. She's scheduled to appear in Flathead County Justice Court on Dec. 20.
Several of the reservoir huskies tested positive for parvovirus, but all them recovered, Bennett said.
Any dog that’s adopted from the shelter has all of its vaccinations and is spayed or neutered, Bennett noted. There is a modest fee to adopt a dog or cat.
Currently, there are about 18 dogs ready for adoption, with more in the wings. Stray dogs are kept for 72 hours under shelter policy to see if an owner claims them.
Those that go unclaimed are spay or neutered, if necessary, given a day’s rest after the procedure and then listed for adoption.
As such, it can take about a week for an animal to be ready for adoption, Bennett noted.*
The shelter also sometimes uses foster homes, but then people who want to adopt the dog have a harder time seeing it.
For more information on dog and cat adoption and to make an appointment, visit the county shelter website at: https://flathead.mt.gov/department-directory/animal
*This article has been updated to reflect the fact that the shelter is a no-kill facility.