On Monday, the Panhandle Humane Society took in 21 dogs that were rescued from filthy living conditions after their owners were arrested by Scotts Bluff County Sheriff deputies.
Executive Director Amy Bartholomew says she and her staff got the heads up late last week as the arrest warrant was being drawn up in the early stages of the investigation.
“So we did know that these animals were going to be seized,” said Bartholomew. “We were contacted Friday by the sheriff’s office which thankfully gave us time to prepare to contact our vet to see if they could come when the dogs were brought here so that they could be assessed right away.”
She told KNEB News that there were a lot of unknowns on what to expect when the dogs were brought in, but they worked together to make quick work of the task at hand.
“We didn’t know what condition they were going to be in. We didn’t know if some might have to have immediate care or something else. So Monday, when all the dogs were brought in, they got weighed right away; vaccinated if we were able to- some of them are not super friendly right now- and so we’ve safely vaccinated the ones that we could.”
Because the animals brought in are tied to a court case, the dogs are being treated as evidence, and are not available for adoption for the foreseeable future. Bartholomew says that all of the dogs remain in their intake area, so KNEB News was not able to get photos or videos of the dogs. But she says their veterinarian has checked all of the pups and did find some issues with a handful of dogs, but all-in-all they were healthy but dirty.
“Some of the larger dogs were are thinner than they should be, but they were getting fed. But most of them had pee and poop on them, you know, urine stains their fur. All the ones that we can handle have gotten bathed, and they were very happy about that.”
Bartholomew said that in her tenure with PHS, she has never seen a rescue intake of this magnitude, but noted that she and her staff are there year-round. Whether it’s neglected animals, owner surrenders, or strays coming in, their goal is to get these animals healthy and rehomed.
“When something like this happens, it’s obviously very unfortunate. The upside of it is it brings light to what we do to all the things that we need- and it’s great that something like this drives everybody to bring donations,” she said. “However, you need that all the time, not just when we get 21 dogs in at once. And people want to volunteer , which is great, however, we could use that all the time. Dog walkers. People want to come help with laundry.”
If you are unable to help out with volunteering your time, the Panhandle Humane Society always appreciate donations, you can donate financially by clicking here or you can check out their wish list for supplies they need year round.
