The Enterprise
An Idaho woman has been charged with 37 counts of cruelty to animals in connection with a dog rescue that has left a Malheur County shelter overflowing.
Kimberly L. Anderson of Weiser is scheduled to appear on the misdemeanor criminal charges in Washington County District Court on Tuesday, Aug. 22.
She also faces a petition from Washington County prosecutors that seeks forfeiture of the dogs.
Sheriff’s deputies found the dogs during a check at the Anderson home on Friday, Aug. 4. The dogs were seized and one gave birth, increasing the total dog count to 43. They are being kept at Ani-Care Animal Shelter south of Ontario.
PHOTOS link: Gallery of dogs
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is paying $15 per day per dog for that care, but shelter officials say they still need help with volunteers, dog supplies and contributions to support veterinary care for the dogs. They said the dogs were settling in and seemed more active than when they first arrived.
The dogs, mostly yorkies, lived in squalid conditions at the home on Winslow Road, according to an affidavit filed in court by Sheriff’s Deputy Brady Johnston.
“The floors were saturated with animal feces and urine,” Johnston wrote. “There was animal feces in the living room, dining room, kitchen and all bedrooms. There was also animal feces located on the furniture and beds.”
Police found a padlocked bedroom that housed 12 adult dogs, the affidavit said. Three litters of puppies were being kept in boxes in the room, it said.
A veterinarian who accompanied police said conditions were unsanitary and unsafe for the dogs. Martha Eaton of Cat N Dog Wellness Clinic, “expressed concerns of inbreeding, incest and the spread of diseases,” according to the affidavit.
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