Anchorage’s animal shelter is significantly over capacity after the seizure of more than 70 dogs from an Anchorage residence this week, in what the city’s animal control agency referred to as a hoarding case.
Anchorage Animal Care and Control initially posted a plea for support to social media on Thursday, describing a “hoarding situation” that prompted the seizure of 71 dogs from a single home that day. In a follow-up post made Friday, the organization elaborated that its shelter was built to “humanely house” 60-65 dogs, but that there are currently 123.
“Over crowding increases our chances of a disease outbreak and does not allow animals to have double sided kennels which is the standard for humane care in shelters,” the agency wrote on Facebook.
Also Friday, the Anchorage Police Department posted to social media that its officers had assisted animal control with seizing the dogs, describing the situation as “one of the most severe neglect cases we’ve encountered.”
According to the police department’s post, neglect charges are pending in the case. Additional information from police wasn’t immediately available Friday afternoon.
In its post Friday, Anchorage Animal Care and Control noted that the seized dogs are under “protective custody” at the shelter and therefore cannot be put up for adoption. Instead, the agency said people could help by adopting or fostering one of the shelter’s available dogs. The adoption cost for all adult dogs has been lowered to $42.
According to the post, the agency has reached out to other shelters and animal rescues around the state to ask for help. The organization noted that, while it is a last resort, euthanizing animals “may be our only option to make sure we are meeting the standards of care.”
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