Sometimes the best intentions garner the most undesirable results. This is a fact that Thompson River Animal Care Shelter (TRACS) has come to help a few big-hearted animal lovers come to grips with.

"Some people want to help as many animals as they can, but despite their best efforts they are not equipped with the resources to be able to adequately provide for their needs," said TRACS co-founder Wanda Thorpe. "When people try to take on large numbers of animals in their home, it often turns out disastrous for the health of the pets and the humans."

Case in point: TRACS spent much of Sunday and Monday coordinating an effort to remove 26 dogs from a residence in Hot Springs. Their ages ranged from 5 months to 14 years, their health was fair to poor and almost none of them were socialized enough to be around strangers. Although the home owner was doing her best to try to keep up with the needs of the canines, the task was too large for one person – especially since her husband was recently hospitalized and she was dealing with health issues of her own.

"I've got to hand it to her, she was trying her best and did the right thing by getting us to help," Thorpe noted. TRACS staff were able to remove 23 of the dogs, as the remaining three were too shaken up to be rounded up at the time. The owner, who wished to remain unnamed, said most of the dogs had been dropped off with her over the course of 12 years by her grown children and their boyfriends or girlfriends. Thorpe said law enforcement was not involved as the situation was "more of an unfortunate series of events than a criminal matter."

All the dogs rescued were medium or large mixed breed dogs, with genders almost equal in number. For perspective on domestic attempts to keep 26 dogs, TRACS's capacity for large dogs is about 11 – with three to four staff on shift to care for them. Medium and large dogs require at least two cups of dog food per day. With a large bag of dog food averaging $20, one can imagine the amount of money a dog lover would have to put into that kind of effort – not to mention the sheer amount of waste disposal and medications that would be needed for a healthy life. Unfortunately, waste disposal and meds are not usually kept up on in situations like this. The owner did, however, attempt to group the dogs in ways that matched their demeanor. Sections of the property were cordoned off to accommodate the groups to keep fighting to a minimum. She said she tried to give each one a little attention every day.

Lack of resources equal a pile-up of unique problems over time. Throughout the 12 years of accumulating dogs, very few of them were neutered or spayed. Coupled with the large numbers, it was a recipe for constant competition for food, and that competition was usually aggressive. When the females went into heat, the energy and disagreements amongst the male dogs intensifies.

"There was one girl who arrived with a pretty nasty gash on her face," Thorpe said. "And a lot of these dogs were pretty skinny from not being high in the pecking order – especially the puppies."

Four of the puppies and nine adults were transported to a Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, shelter, where they happened to have extra room.

"We were lucky on the timing of this as we are at capacity, puppies were about to go into heat and some required immediate attention," Thorpe added. At this time, the dogs at TRACS are separated from the other dogs while they are vaccinated, dewormed, socialized, appropriately fed and brought back to health. One of the females that had been grouped with all males couldn't stop eating when she arrived at TRACS, as her instincts probably told her to eat up since she didn't know when the big boys would be back to bump her to the back of the feeding line again. Staff had to cut her off before she hurt herself.

Thorpe said most of the dogs should be ready for adoption in time for Christmas.

"There are plenty of these dogs that will be great for families or those who have room for them to run," Thorpe said. "Especially Coda, whose nickname is 'Grandpa.' The reddish husky-mix was the calm in the chaos, and was a favorite with the owner's grandkids."

The situation is reminiscent of the first big operation tackled by TRACS during their first year in 2007. A property in west Thompson Falls had 54 dogs removed by TRACS, there had been 64 but the Sheriff's Office had to put ten of them down because of their relentless aggression.

"It is always sad when we find these situations, but we consider everyone lucky when we are able to intervene before the health effects are too harmful or fatal to both the animals and the humans," shared Thorpe, who emphasized that unsanitary animal conditions could be a huge threat to humans through parasites, exposure to animal waste and air quality conditions inside the house.

Justin Harris

TRACS will be seeking potential families for the dogs in the near future, as well as donations to help the no-kill shelter with the mounting medical expenses that will only rise as any new health problems are discovered. And, as always, there is a need for volunteers at the facility. For more information or to help call TRACS at 827-8722.