An Anchorage woman has been charged with neglecting more than 70 dogs, in a case that strained local animal-care resources and prompted a massive outpouring of community support to adopt the animals.
Court records show Monika Marshall, 47, charged with 73 misdemeanor counts of animal neglect. Anchorage police described the situation on Facebook as “one of the most severe neglect cases we’ve encountered.” It involved a total of 71 dogs and two birds.
Marshall could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
But a charging document against her lays out what authorities say happened. According to the charges, police and Anchorage Animal Care and Control officers visited her Abbott Loop home on May 22 in response to a report of animal neglect. They reported a “strong smell of urine emanating from the house.”
“Upon entering the residence the smell of urine and feces greatly intensified, and officers observed urine and feces present on every wall, and were forced to return to the residence with gas masks due to the overwhelming odor,” prosecutors said in the charges.
Inside, officers reported finding “a large number of dogs roaming freely,” which made moving through the home’s first floor difficult due to their sheer numbers.
“Officers observed even more surging out of cramped and unsanitary spaces,” prosecutors said.
All 73 dogs and birds were removed from the home, according to the charges, and Marshall was briefly arrested.
Animal Care and Control described it as a “hoarding case” on Facebook. A day after the dogs were seized, police posted a plea for help online.
“The animals were found in unimaginable conditions,” police said. “While neglect charges are pending, the immediate crisis is this: AACC is now operating at nearly three times its standard capacity. They need our help, and they need it now.”
Residents responded to that request for aid, the shelter said on Facebook, adopting more than two dozen dogs on May 24 alone.
By Thursday, a week after the seizure, less than half of the original 71 dogs remained at the shelter. Animal Care and Control said staff did not have to euthanize any of the animals thanks to an “amazing effort by everyone in our Alaskan community.”
“In just 7 days we have had 70 dogs adopted, 11 dogs go out to foster care, 5 dogs transferred to other shelters from around the state, and 2 birds picked up by a rescue,” shelter staff said. “On top of this the amount of donations that have been coming in is simply incredible; we have bags of pet food stacked as high as possible, bins filled with new toys, and enough treats to spoil every animal in our care.”
Animal Care and Control’s shelter manager, Melissa Summerfield, said by email on Tuesday that just 29 of the seized dogs remained at the shelter, in good condition.
“These dogs are doing well,” Summerfield said. “They are not socialized, and some are taking a little bit longer to warm up to the new environment and new people. There may be a few that need to be placed in foster care for a few weeks to be socialized prior to adoption but we are hopeful that all 71 dogs will be able to be placed successfully.”
The rapid pace of adoptions played a key role in clearing the shelter to work with the new animals, according to Summerfield.
“Just 3 days after the seizure we were back down to a normal operating level thanks to the 60 dogs adopted in just one weekend!” Summerfield said. “We have received over 100 applications for volunteers, fosters, and our Tails on Trails program so we are asking the public to be patient as we process these.”
Court records show that Marshall was released from jail on May 23 with her next court appearance scheduled for July 23.
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