3 dozen animals rescued

A woman who serves as a dogcatcher in Auburn, Neb., abandoned three dozen animals at one of two shelters she and her family ran in the region, authorities say.

Found fending for themselves Friday were 22 dogs, one cat, eight chickens, four ducks and a turkey, said Pam Wiese, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Humane Society. It had been three weeks since the animals had been taken care of, she said, and they lacked food and water.

Workers also found three dead dogs at the acreage, located about 10 miles northwest of town.

“It's a horrible story and a horrible mess,” said Carol Wheeler, founder and director with Hearts United for Animals, an Auburn-area no-kill shelter that assisted in the rescue. “This was a train wreck that should not have been allowed to happen.”

The surviving animals were fed, cleaned and medically checked. After more tests in Omaha, those that are healthy and have no behavioral problems will be made available through the society's adoption program, Wiese said.

Officials will try to find homes at area acreages for the ducks, chickens and turkey.

Meanwhile, the Humane Society will perform a necropsy — an animal autopsy — on the three dogs, Wiese said. Information on the cause of death will be used by Nemaha County officials to determine whether any criminal charges should be filed against the dogcatcher or her family members, said Nemaha County Sheriff Brent Lottman.

As of Friday, no arrests had been made and no citations issued.

Joining Wheeler at the rescue were animal control officers with the Humane Society, Nemaha sheriff's deputies and officials with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, which regulates animal shelters and other similar operations.

Lottman said the Auburn dogcatcher, 58, was licensed by the state to care for dogs at the shelters. But the dogcatcher left town about three weeks ago, he said, and left care for the animals to family members, who were overwhelmed with the responsibility.

Christin Kamm, public information officer for the State Department of Agriculture, declined to comment about the rescue, saying an investigation into the shelter continues.

She could not confirm that the shelter had an active license or who had held its license.

“To me, it's a situation where nobody cared enough to check up on it,” Wheeler said. “They were running a rescue operation, but they didn't have the strength, energy or time to do it.”

Contact the writer: 444-3198, chip.olsen@owh.com

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