Submitted by UAN Emergency Services Manager Janell Matthies
HSUS and Logan County Animal Control were able to reach an agreement with the owners and ALL ANIMALS were surrendered!
Today we worked from before dawn until long after dark preparing for and receiving around 300 dogs, 15 cats, 30 miniature horses, 1 regular sized horse, 5 red eared sliders (aquatic turtles), 5 tortoises, 5 cockatiels … 361 animals all told. The property was over 82 acres, so as the rescue team was loading up they were discovering more and more animals. Many of the dogs are pregnant and we expect our population to increase even more over the next couple of days.
As always, UAN's Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS) volunteers were amazing. Even with all the activity today, they were able to care for, comfort and get to know many of the dogs. As Ruth said when she asked to be assigned to her same row of dogs tomorrow, she’s “already made friends over there." We all know about the pug who sings, the two Yorkies who were “obviously on the bottom” (row of kennels at the facility…their fur is horribly matted with feces) and Yorkie-town (18 Yorkies who were living in a shed together on the property.)
Many of us have developed a soft spot for the one large dog on the premises: a beautiful, absolutely humongous Akita who is incredibly sweet, even though he is completely blind. He had a hard time coming in as he didn’t know how to walk outside and was terrified. We helped him along and he’s now resting comfortably in his cage. He even ate his dinner.
It’s getting late and we are starting extra early again tomorrow to hopefully finish vetting all the animals, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
I am of course horrified by the plight of these dogs, but also saddened that there is not more that locals are allowed to do to help. I live in this area, have been carefully beginning the search for my family's next dog and had hoped that perhaps I could open my home to one of these unfortunate animals. I own a home with a yard, have most necessary pet supplies (we lost a beloved pet last year to seizures) including beds, a crate, grooming supplies, leashes, etc. Also, as a teacher on spring break, I have a luxury that many don't - I have time to devote to beginning the slow, gentle work of socializing and training a dog who has not had enough human contact. I would have even been willing to take on the expense of vet care myself. And I'm sure I'm not alone. The places I contacted today about these dogs had taken many questions about them. But our local news reports that all these animals are to be shipped out of state for placement. As western Arkansans, we opened our hearts, our homes and our community to Katrina survivors (both human and animal) and again to residents of south Louisiana during a subsequent evacuation. I wish we had been given the opportunity to share this generosity with these poor animals. Good luck, wherever they go.
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