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44 dogs surrendered to shelter

Haley Gustafson | Daily Press One of the six-week-old chiweenie puppies surrendered to the Delta Animal Shelter by a Gladstone resident peeks through a cage at the shelter in Escanaba Tuesday. The puppy shown is one of 44 dogs and a rabbit that were removed from a home in Gladstone last week.

GLADSTONE — The Delta Animal Shelter in Escanaba received 44 dogs and one rabbit after a resident in Gladstone surrendered the animals to the shelter last Thursday.

According to Sue Gartland, shelter manager, the facility is safely housing the dogs and rabbit and providing medical care.

Gartland explained all the dogs are a small breed known as “chiweenies,” which are crosses between a Chihuahua and dachshund (sometimes called wiener dogs). To the shelter’s knowledge, the canines have never been outside and are currently not house trained, said Gartland.

The dogs will undergo some medical treatments including spaying/neutering, rabies vaccinations, heart worm testing and a full exam performed by a veterinarian, explained Gartland. One of the biggest tasks the shelter will undertake with the canines is socializing them and making sure they are fit to be placed into homes.

“Our goal is to work with them and get them socialized,” said Gartland. “I am confident they will make great pets.”

Once all the dogs are cleared and have been spayed or neutered, they will be put up for adoption. Gartland noted this process could take weeks and asks the public to be patient while shelter personnel do their best to take care of the animals. On Sunday, all of the dogs received their first vaccination, de-worming, and de-flea. The rabbit that was found in the home is currently available for adoption at the shelter.

In a Facebook post last Friday, the Delta Animal Shelter asked for the public’s assistance with donations to help with the huge intake of animals.

The shelter is asking for monetary donations along with puppy pads, canned dog food, small breed Frontline topical flea treatment, paper towels, soft dog treats, and liquid Lysol cleaner.

Gartland said the community support has been overwhelming, adding donations of the items listed above have been coming in steady.

“This animal loving community came forward,” said Gartland.

Along with shelter employees and volunteers, the Gladstone Public Safety Department assisted with the removal of the dogs and rabbit from a single dwelling home in Gladstone.

Public Safety Officer Ryan Peterson said it took the shelter approximately two hours to remove the animals from the home.

“My hats off to them,” said Peterson of the shelter personnel. “They did an excellent job.”

While there are city ordinances in place in Gladstone on not being able to house large amounts of animals in a home, Peterson said no charges will be brought against the resident because of their cooperation, noting the resident willingly surrendered the dogs and rabbit to the area animal shelter.

Peterson, who was on scene when the pets were being removed, noted the dogs and rabbit appeared to look healthy and were friendly. Some of the dogs were timid and scared, added Peterson, as they had very minimal socialization in the home.

Gartland noted while this may be a sad story, in the end, it came out to a positive because the owner did what was right for the pets and got the animals into a better situation.

Anyone interested in donating to the Delta Animal Shelter can drop off items during its regular business hours and after hours or by calling the shelter at 789-0230.

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