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 pawsandclawspetrescue.com.
Sun may be contacted at rsun@lmtribune.com 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.
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