HAMILTON — Animals seized during an animal cruelty investigation in Corvallis have started to find their forever homes, freeing up space in shelters stretched to the limit by the case.
“It's nice to see them finally come out of their shell, be really personable dogs,” said Tucker Chase, shelter director at the Bitter Root Humane Association. “And we're finding really good homes for them.”
(WATCH: Animals from Corvallis cruelty case continue to find new homes)
Back in May, the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office seized 87 animals during an animal cruelty investigation in Corvallis. The Bitter Root Humane Association, the Humane Society of Western Montana and The Wings Program assisted, coordinating a response to rescue dogs, cats, rats, livestock and more. Most were poodles and mini schnauzers.
“In this kind of situation, you have to have a lot of people and a lot of help. No one agency can do it alone,” said Marta Pierpoint, the executive director of the Humane Society of Western Montana. “When they first came in, they were pretty shut down and afraid. A lot of them needed grooming and medical attention, and so it took a while for us to really get to know them, but we've all fallen in love.”
The livestock, including a donkey in need of extensive care, went to The Wings Program. Half of the dogs went to the Humane Society of Western Montana (HSWM) and the other half of the dogs and all the rest went to the Bitter Root Humane Association (BRHA).
The criminal case is still ongoing but, last Wednesday, the animals were officially surrendered to the shelters, allowing them to adopt out the animals.
“Adoptions has been going like crazy. We've been moving the dogs not only from this case, but the community has really shown up and adopted a lot of dogs,” Chase said. “We're finally clearing up some kennel space. Huge relief. 30 dogs is a lot.”
With the dogs in their custody, the shelters can also perform more extensive medical care, like spaying and neutering and more intense surgeries.
“We already did a full dental extraction on one of the senior mini schnauzers,” Chase said. “All but three teeth had to be pulled because they just couldn't eat.”
However, the cost of the care adds up, and both shelters are looking for donations to help.
“It’s a double-edged sword getting custody of everybody because now we can adopt them out and we can get them all the vet care they really need,” he said. “But, we also are on the hook for all those costs. So, right now on average, each dog is costing us about $800 in vet care between spay and neuters, dental work, blood work, making sure everybody's healthy.”
Once they get needed vet care, the animals can move along in the adoption process. Many have already gone on to new homes.
At BRHA, Chase is expecting all the dogs from the case will be adopted by the end of the week. As of Wednesday, however, there are still some available, along with a lot of chickens. They are working with rescues in warmer climates to rehome the tortoise.
“Otherwise, everybody's found homes,” he said. “But there are still dogs available, if anybody wants to come down and see them and come meet them.”
At HSWM, several dogs have already gone to new homes. As more are medically cleared, new dogs will become available for adoption. You can find out more information on their website.
Pierpoint said that cases like this are unfortunately all too common and, while they are draining on shelter resources, assisting with them is always worth it.
“There will be more cases like this. There are more out there right now,” she said. “It's really rewarding to be able to assist in these kinds of cases, because we know we're doing so much good, and then there's that whole second reward that happens when you get to see the animals go home.”
