Recall the subzero temperatures during the first week of the New Year? Records were broken, schools were closed and people were encouraged to stay inside if at all possible. During this time, dozens of dogs in Montgomery County were living outside in plastic barrels at a breeder’s residence. On Jan. 7, the situation was dire as temperatures were expected to fall well below normal. A veterinarian who visited the property recommended the dogs be brought in to warmer temperatures or removed from the premises absent enough room inside the premises.
That same day, the owner of the 60 plus dogs met with law enforcement, lawyers and officials from the Montgomery SPCA to come up with a plan to remove the dogs from these conditions.
A majority of the adult dogs were temporarily relocated to the Montgomery County SPCA, at the full expense of this SPCA, while new homes can be built for them. The Montgomery County SPCA also is assisting the owner in building sufficient shelter and donating materials toward this effort. Several dogs will be returned to the owner once sufficient shelter is available.
It is estimated that the cost of vet bills and caring for the dogs pending the shelters will approximate $40,000, not including the materials the SPCA is providing for the owner.
The Montgomery County SPCA’s website (www.mc-spca.com/wp) reads as follows: We now have possession of many of the dogs from Flat Creek Kennel and will be working toward making sure the rest are taken care of. The Shih Tzu dogs are at our shelter and are up for adoption. The Border Collies are at Glen Highland Farm. We are financially responsible for ALL of the dogs. Please trust that we are doing as much as possible to help ALL of the animals in this and similar situations. Your monetary help would be appreciated and put to good use as we expect upwards of $40,000 in vet bills from this incident alone.
Checks may be sent to:
Montgomery County SPCA
PO Box 484
Amsterdam, NY 12010
No amount is too small. Thanks to your generosity, the HVCC Animal Outreach Club is able to send $500 from our holiday sale and we will hold another sale in the spring. We can’t come close to this astronomical amount alone and hope you will consider a donation to the MC-SPCA andor spread the word.
Many thanks and Happy New Year to all,
Val Waldin and Alice Malavasic
Animal Outreach Club Advisors
Published: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 12:57:44 +0000 by v.waldin