Nineteen dogs were brought to the Dillingham Animal Control shelter over the weekend, following a police investigation into animal cruelty.
The group includes three adult dogs, five puppies estimated to be between two and four weeks old, and eleven puppies believed to be between three and five months old. All were seized from their owner Friday (5/30) due to signs of malnourishment, according to the Dillingham Police Department.
Jamal Romie, the Dillingham Animal Control Officer, responded to the call and transported the dogs to the shelter. He says all of the dogs have since been vaccinated and bathed.
“These last couple of days I've been taking care of the puppies, feeding them and watering them,” Romie said. “I've been watching their poop. When I first got them it was black and there was lots of trash in there. But they've been getting lots of healthy poops now so far.”
Romie is the shelter’s only employee and is caring for all 19 dogs, in addition to the two dogs who were already at the shelter. He says he is working to rehome the animals as quickly as possible, but that space in the shelter is limited and finding local adopters can take time.
Twelve of the dogs—the five youngest puppies, their mother, and six of the older puppies—will go to Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward on Saturday. The center’s dog program takes in local shelter animals and prepares them for adoption.
Romie says Dillingham’s Animal Control shelter has partnered with the correctional center's dog program before.
“They train the dogs, they give them vaccines, they give them spay and neuters and all the other stuff. And the inmates correct them, give them teaching,” Romie said. “When they are done with that they also send them out and get them adopted elsewhere.”
Romie says the remaining dogs will either be rehomed in Dillingham or transferred to another animal shelter in Alaska. As of yesterday (6/03), one puppy had been adopted locally.
The shelter is open for adoptions 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Though, Romie says now that he has so many dogs to take care of, he will be there more often. He encourages anyone interested in volunteering to walk the dogs, or donating food or toys, to call Dillingham Animal Control.
