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Volunteers work to find homes for hoarded dogs
Jun. 14—Volunteers are working to rehome and find foster homes for dozens of dogs taken from an animal hoarding case in Albion.
So far, the Whitman County Sheriff's Office has taken 26 dogs from the home, with plans to remove more.
" The last time the officer pulled dogs, he said it looked ... to be about 45," said rescue volunteer Gabie Mazur, referring to how many are still at the Albion location.
Several of the dogs taken from the home were pregnant or in heat. Mazur said if there are puppies, that number may be even higher.
In addition to the need for spays and neuters, Mazure said all of the dogs needed rabies vaccinations and flea treatments, and many also needed dental care including tooth extractions.
That vet care is currently being provided by Blue Mountain Humane Society in Walla Walla.
Dani Voorhees, co-owner of Zelda's Pet Grooming in Pullman, has been grooming many of the dogs taken from the house. Voorhees said despite the dogs getting initial baths before coming in for professional grooming, many still had feces and urine stuck in their fur, and some had skin conditions as a result.
" I don't feel that they were in good condition, or that any human being could give adequate care to 50 dogs at once," Voorhees said.
Although the case is in Whitman county, it's a Pasco-based animal rescue about two hours away, Paws and Claws, that has been finding foster homes and adopting out the animals.
Kara Schmidt, a Paws and Claws volunteer and student at Washington State University, said she connected the rescue with the case after someone she knew who was friends with the owner reached out.
Schmidt said another reason Paws and Claws got involved was because shelters and rescues in the quad-cities area don't have the resources to take on a hoarding case.
" I mean, every single shelter in the state is full," Schmidt said. " I didn't expect (Whitman County Humane Society) to be able to take any, to be honest, especially of that magnitude."
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Whitman County Humane Society has stated it doesn't have room for dogs, but has offered to provide resources including crates, resources for veterinary care and promotion of adoptable dogs on its social media.
Some community members have voiced complaints that the animals aren't being removed faster. Some local residents expressed concern that the owners aren't facing criminal prosecution.
But prosecuting hoarding cases is challenging, said Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers.
" We've worked with animal neglect and animal cruelty cases before, and they're difficult to prove," he said. "You have to prove almost that a person was intentionally mistreating an animal."
When animals are adequately fed, which they are in the Albion case, deputies often try to get buy-in from owners to surrender their animals voluntarily, Myers said.
"If this happens again and they're out of compliance, we take a different approach," Myers said.
Myers, who had not yet seen the dogs as of his interview, said he knows the situation isn't ideal. However, he believes the current approach is the best path forward.
" I'm here to get those animals out, get the number down and work with the people the best way we can without overwhelming the system," he said. "I hope by the end of the month, we have either all the dogs outta there, or a very limited amount (left), and the dogs that are left there don't have the ability to reproduce."
Right now, one of the biggest priorities for Paws and Claws is fundraising to pay for the dogs' medical treatments, Schmidt said.
" Our first batch of dogs, it was ... about $1,500 to $1,800 (in medical bills). And then the second was about the same. The third was $3,300," Schmidt said.
People interested in more information, or taking in rescued dogs, can go to the Paws and Claws website at
Sun may be contacted at rsun@ or on Twitter at @Rachel_M_Sun. This report is made in partnership with Northwest Public Broadcasting, the Lewiston Tribune and the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
