A few weeks ago, the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office and local shelters rescued nearly 90 animals from alleged neglect. As the case progresses, the animals and the shelters caring for them remain in a holding pattern.
"We've never had a situation this big before,” said Tucker Chase, Bitter Root Humane Association shelter director. “It's been two weeks where our shelters are completely full."
The week of May 15, reports came into the sheriff's office about animals being neglected in Corvallis.
“We took a report on that, started that investigation, ended up serving a search warrant on that resident,” Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton said. “Took about 87 animals, mostly dogs, but there were some cats rats, some cows, a donkey.”
They called in support from three local shelters: the Bitter Root Humane Association, the Humane Society of Western Montana and The Wings Programs, where the animals are now recovering.
“We were able to coordinate a response with the sheriff's department to go in and collect all the animals and then get them medical care and treatment that they needed, and then we've been sitting on them ever since,” Chase said.
Holton said the sheriff’s office is working with the Ravalli County Attorney’s Office, but charges have not yet been filed. Until the case proceeds, the animals cannot be adopted or fostered, and information about the case is restricted, including images or video of the animals involved.
“It's at the county attorney's office and they're putting a significant amount of time into getting it right the first time,” he said. “At this point, the animals are evidence and so we need a court order to release those animals. So, as the case moves on, that'll hopefully start alleviating some of the stress and burden we've placed on those shelters.”
WATCH THE FULL STORY HERE:
During the rescue, shelter staff used crates and trailers to remove the animals safely, working closely with sheriff’s office personnel. The livestock went to The Wings Programs, half of the dogs went to the Humane Society of Western Montana (HSWM) and the rest went to the Bitter Root Humane Association (BRHA).
“It was definitely an emotional roller coaster for everybody. My team handled it really, really well,” Chase said. “We're not an animal control shelter, we're just a private nonprofit, so we don't have the training or the experience to handle situations like that. I used to be an animal control officer from Missoula County for 5 years, so I've dealt with that kind of a situation before, but my staff has never dealt with that kind of a thing.”
Chase said the experience has been a learning curve for BRHA. Staff have been checking in on each other and planning to invest in more training to prepare for large cases like this in the future.
“It's animals that we typically have not had to deal with before, between rats, a tortoise, more chickens than we've ever had at one time,” Chase said. “We've had to convert our barn into a chicken coop.”
As Ravalli County’s only municipal shelter, stray animals picked up by valley law enforcement continue to come in, even if BRHA is already at capacity.
“It's been really hard to juggle all that and try to make space for it. I only have 37 dog kennels here on site, so it's been a real adjustment trying to figure out what we can double up on and where to shuffle everybody so everybody fits and has a comfortable space," Chase said.
Volunteers and other animal organizations are helping as shelters adjust to the extra workload. Local groomers, veterinarians and community members have offered time and services, helping get the animals healthy, happy and socialized. A shelter in Great Falls even took some dogs from BRHA before the case to free up space.
Individuals have also helped adopt and foster animals not involved in the case. Both shelters still have dogs up for adoption, and Chase said that is one of the best ways people can help.
They are also seeking volunteers and donations, especially food, treats and supplies such as laundry detergent and towels.
“There's no way we could pull off this kind of a thing just by ourselves,” Chase said. “It's been really nice to see the community step up and help out. So it's made a big difference.”
Currently, BRHA and HSWM are not able to intake new dogs from the public, but both still have animals available for adoption. For the time being, BRHA is open by appointment only. HSWM is returning to its regular cat adoption schedule but is still appointment-only for meeting adoptable dogs.
“It's a big emotional deal, to see the condition they came into our shelter that day versus how they look now,” Chase said. “It helps my staff to process, and our volunteers to process, that kind of an event, to see really fearful dogs that need a lot of care progress so fast into really friendly, happy, healthy dogs.”
