A major League undertaking
Animal shelter, with help, pulls off 'mass rescue'
It's been an unexpected and sometimes overwhelming swirl of activity for the Animal Rescue League of Boston the past couple of weeks.
On May 29, the South End-based nonprofit, the state Department of Agricultural Resources, and Randolph animal control officers obtained a search warrant to enter a Randolph home where they found 90 dogs and puppies living alone in squalor in what appeared to be a makeshift breeding kennel.
"The odor from the house 15 to 20 feet away was overpowering," said Christopher Smalley, the league's director of communications. Inside, officials found an assortment of breeds of small to medium-sized dogs, including trendy "designer dogs" like a cocker spaniel/poodle mix called cockapoos, said Smalley, and other poodle mixes.
"I've been the state humane officer for 28 years, and it's the worst I've ever seen there," Lieutenant Alan Borgal, the league's director of animal welfare and protection, told the media.
The house, now condemned by the Randolph Board of Health, had been rented by Linda Snow, who operated a Stoughton pet store that had been cited 55 times by the state Bureau of Animal Welfare for various pet store violations in the last three years, according to Lisa Capone, a spokeswoman for the Department of Agricultural Resources. State officials believe the store has since gone out of business, she said.
After overseeing such a "mass rescue," said Smalley, the league has been busy trying to find suitable quarters for the dogs, some of which needed hospital care. Though it has plenty of staff to handle the influx, there is room for only about 20 animals at the South End headquarters. "It's tripled our population . . . in a matter of days," putting a financial strain on the organization. said Smalley. The league has sent some dogs to its Brewster shelter and the rest to animal control facilities in the western suburbs that work closely with the league, he said.
Since the rescue, there has been a "tremendous" outpouring of support and interest in the dogs, said Smalley. "Especially within the first few days, there were many calls from people wanting to adopt," he said. But because the incident is still part of an active investigation by the Norfolk district attorney's office, the dogs will remain under the supervision of the league indefinitely and are not available for adoption, he said.
David Traub, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, declined to comment on whether there is an investigation, but said there have been "no criminal charges at this time."
To help offset the cost of feeding and caring for the dogs, which could exceed $40,000, the league has set up a fund to collect donations. So far, $11,000 has been raised, said Smalley.
Pet supply retailer PETCO sent 19 groomers to Framingham and Saugus on June 2 to wash, clip and brush 38 of the dogs in the worst condition, said April Batta, regional marketing coordinator for PETCO Northeast. "Most of the dogs had to be sheared because their fur was so matted and covered with feces," she said. Some groomers are also serving as "foster parents" while the dogs remained in the legal custody of the league.
Initially, the company donated nylon collars used to help identify the dogs as well as cases of puppy milk. Last week, the company began collecting a number of items to help the league manage the ongoing care of the dogs, including old blankets and towels, chew toys, dog and puppy food, house-training pads and flea and tick treatments at 20 area PETCO stores, including those in Brighton and Cambridge.
Customers wishing to donate to the league's rescue fund can round up their PETCO store purchase price, and 100 percent of the extra money will go to the fund, said Batta. "We're really trying to support them." 