The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at a residence and discovered the dogs living in poor conditions. Chautauqua County Humane Society staff immediately transported the animals to the shelter, where medical exams were performed. There were 19 dogs taken in overall, with four of them being puppies. Six have officially been surrendered to the Humane Society and are available for foster-to-adopt, but all 19 are in their care until a court decision is reached on the case.

“Our number of dogs has doubled overnight,” Kelly Johnson, Chautauqua County Humane Society animal care and facilities manager, said.

“These dogs are all very sweet but they are scared. They have not been socialized; there has not been a lot of medical care. They were all in need of baths as they were covered in feces.”

Johnson said the amount of work for staff has doubled with the extra work as well, including for basic medical care such as vaccinations. At a normal time the Humane Society has 18 kennels and four pods open for dogs, with the average number of dogs in the shelter being between 21 and 25. The additional 19 dogs has now doubled the amount the shelter has on a daily basis.

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The Humane Society is urgently looking for people to be willing to foster-to-adopt the six surrendered dogs from the case, or foster or adopt any other dog currently in the shelter. Johnson said they would like to get them out of the shelter and to a better environment, especially as the situation has been scary for them already. She added getting them into homes where they can be loved and socialized is the goal. All 19 dogs taken in are Vizslas, and were mostly used for breeding purposes.

“These dogs are not aggressive, but they are scared,” Johnson said. “They need to learn that they are able to be loved and get attention. Right now they are only able as foster-to-adopt and have not been spayed and neutered, but we are in the process of working on that.”

Appointments can also be made by someone to bring them back in to be spayed and neutered if they take them in to foster or foster-to-adopt.

If unable to foster the dogs, Johnson said the Humane Society is also in need of help volunteer-wise, as the amount of volunteers needed to do the extra work has also increased, specifically in places such as laundry. One-day applications are available if someone is interested in coming to help for a day. Anyone who is already a volunteer is welcome to come and help with these dogs as well, as soon Humane Society staff will be working to get them out onto the patio and learn to potty train. Johnson said having more people around to help them get used to people and socialize will be helpful as well, and they are also accepting donations of blankets and towels or cleaning supplies.

“If you think you are able to foster these dogs, you need to know that they will definitely need patience,” Johnson said. “They are coming around already in the time they have spent here, but they are not potty trained and they are not your normal dog that has been in the house and around people. They will need a lot of patience and time.”

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The Chautauqua County Humane Society is always welcoming donations, monetary or otherwise, especially for their regular supplies such as food for their regular dogs and cats already there. Community members are welcome to stop in and see how they can help or take a tour. For more information on the Chautauqua County Humane Society, visit chqhumane.org.

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