Less than two weeks after being rescued from whats been described as a hoarding situation, the Cheyenne Animal Shelter says the more than 60 dogs are doing well.

Several have already been adopted, with more being fostered or awaiting assessment for adoption. And the community having stepped up with donations, volunteering and foster homes has made a difficult situation more manageable, shelter CEO Britney Tennant told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Tuesday.

On April 16, animal control officers responded to a call about 20 large-breed dogs running loose on the south side of Cheyenne, according to a Saturday news release from the city. With help from the citys Compliance Department, the Laramie County Sheriffs Office and community members, animal control officers rounded up 23 dogs and transported them to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, along with a handful more over the next few days.

The citys Compliance Department took charge of animal control services for both the city and county Sept. 1.

Upon contacting the dog owner, animal control quickly became aware of the gravity of the situation the dogs and their owner were in, the news release said. The owner accepted an offer to surrender all animals so they could receive medical care and more adequate housing.

Tennant said it was her understanding that animal control officers had not issued the former owner a citation because the owner surrendered the animals. She said the shelter supported the decision because this type of case is typically difficult to prosecute, and animals must be held as evidence during the duration of the criminal proceeding, which puts strain on both the shelter and the animals themselves.

An animal control supervisor could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

A total of 64 dogs, 13 birds and a handful of cats nine, Tennant estimated were taken from the situation. The dog breeds included Saint Bernards, English Mastiffs, Bullmastiffs, Catahoula Leopard Dogs and Great Pyrenees, according to an email newsletter from the animal shelter.

The birds were of miscellaneous types. Although the shelter was originally told there were about 100 birds, that number later went down to 40, and 13 were ultimately surrendered from the home. Tennant said she was unsure what caused such a big discrepancy in the bird numbers.

Within about 48 hours, the shelters dog population doubled, Tennant said in an interview.

Thirteen puppies have been born since the dogs rescue, with one more mother waiting to give birth.

For the first days they were in the shelter, the dogs were pretty shut down and fearful, Tennant said. In an April 19 newsletter, she described them as under-socialized, unaccustomed to living as house pets, filthy, and generally unwilling or unable to walk on leashes.

The shelter added in a later email newsletter that it decided to label it a hoarding situation because the animals were covered in their own waste, were permitted to breed indiscriminately, had no medical records or established relationship with a veterinarian, and have untreated illnesses and injuries, though they were minor.

Where we can, weve doubled them up in kennels so they can enjoy some companionship and we can make the best use of our available space, Tennant wrote. But, at 150 pounds or more, most of the adults cannot share space. There are so many that we have been forced to take all of our other shelter dogs and condense them into just two adoption rooms. The available space per dog is less than half our usual allotment.

One of the shelters adoption rooms is currently shut down, Tennant said, to house some of the biggest dogs in the group that still need significant grooming care. These dogs need to have matted fur removed before they can be examined for medical issues, she said.

Last Thursday, less than a week after the huge influx of dogs, the shelter said in a newsletter that the dogs were already improving. Shelter staff were working diligently to care for the animals, the newsletter said, and each were provided daily enrichment and time out of their kennels. Veterinary staff were working through ill and injured dogs, and they were on appropriate medication. The shelter had partnered with numerous rescue groups and were met with a lot of community members interested for fostering and adopting.

In the days since then, all of the dogs from the hoarding situation have begun walking on leashes, with some taking to it well, Tennant said in the interview. The dogs are eating, and most have come out of their shells.

Every day, we see improvements, she said. Theres a couple of new dogs every day that have been hiding in the back of their kennel until this new day, and now all of a sudden theyre at the front of their kennel, wagging their tail, looking for attention and interaction from people. So, I think theyre settling in really well.

The shelter CEO also described them as the nicest dogs from a hoarding situation that weve ever seen.

As of Tuesday evening, 36 dogs appeared on the shelters website as available to adopt. Tennant said all but about 10 of the dogs currently available were surrendered from the hoarding situation.

The week these dogs came to the shelter, the CEO said, 13 dogs not from that situation that had been available at the shelter for quite some time were adopted.

(The hoarding) case brought attention not only to these dogs, but to lots of dogs in the shelters, so we saw a pretty marked increase in adoptions over the last two weeks from what weve had since early in the year, Tennant said.

Even so, the shelter is still way over its typical 125- to 140-animal capacity. Tennant said the shelter was housing 212 animals as of Tuesday afternoon, and the situation is only tenable because such a large number of people have taken in foster animals.

Being so overwhelmed with animals needing a high level of care has put a strain on shelter workers, Tennant said physically, mentally and emotionally with many working 12- to 15-hour shifts.

The large influx of dogs also came during the shelters busiest week of the year, when it was preparing for its annual Fur Ball gala fundraiser.

The shelter is always in need of monetary donations, especially because of the large amount of overtime it must pay employees at the moment, said Niki Harrison, the shelters director of annual campaign and branding, in an interview with the WTE.

But Harrison and Tennant said that what will really help the shelter out and get it back to normalcy is more adoptions.

People can now simply show up for an adoption appointment, rather than make one beforehand, Harrison said, although the wait can sometimes be up to an hour.

Through the end of the week, all adult dogs those seven months and older available for adoption will have a fee of just $50.

And while the impact on staff has been real and challenging, the situation has been largely positive, Tennant said. Donations of dog food and other supplies have flooded in, both from companies and individuals. Veterinary clinics and groomers have donated their services. Supply drives have been organized, and mental health care services for staff have been donated. Black Dog Animal Rescue took in five of the animals, including a pregnant dog.

So many people have asked to volunteer that a fast-track onboarding process has been created for those who want to walk dogs, spend time with cats, clean kennels, do laundry and dishes or otherwise keep the shelter space clean.

Because of publicity given to the case and the huge community response, Tennant said, these animals are going to be in a really good spot in a pretty short amount of time.

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Animal shelter making progress with dogs from hoarding situation - Wyoming Tribune