Rescued dogs move indoors at secret location
HELENA -- The colony of malamutes that spent a few weeks on the grounds of the Lewis and Clark Humane Society on Custer Avenue are now indoors at an undisclosed location as they await resolution of an animal cruelty case.
"It just doesn't make sense to have them outside if it's going to be negative 30 in a couple of weeks," said Liz Harrison, the Humane Society's director of development, just hours before a snow flurry dusted Helena on Tuesday afternoon.
The 161 malamutes -- and counting -- were seized from a Jefferson City home on Oct. 12 and had been at the humane society until last weekend.
Authorities say they found the dogs, along with 200 marijuana plants, at the Jefferson City home of Mike Chilinski. Chilinski has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty and drug charges.
Jefferson County Attorney Mathew Johnson said his county has no facilities adequate for the care of the dogs, which are still Chilinski's property, so the Lewis and Clark Humane Society has been involved throughout the process.
But even the Humane Society, which planned to care for 100 dogs but got 161 (with puppies on the way) didn't have the space for all the dogs, said both Harrison and Johnson.
While most of the evidence related to the dogs has already been secured, Johnson said the county still has an obligation to care for the dogs. There has also been some suspicious activity at night around the humane society, Johnson said.
The Humane Society of the United States has agreed to put $25,000 toward the care of the dogs, and many supplies have been donated, along with cash.
That amount is in addition to nine staffers from the national group who came to help with the dogs when they were first seized, said Wendy Hergenraeder, Montana director for the group. The last four members of that group just left Helena on Monday.
And, while the animal-care group will continue to provide what it can in resources and expertise, most of the costs beyond what the humane society can absorb will be borne by Jefferson County.
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Many of the supplies were donated by PetSmart Charities, a group connected to the PetSmart chain of pet-supply stores. Still, neither the humane society nor Jefferson County planned on having to respond to such a need. "This situation with this rescue
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