FOND DU LAC – A month ago, many dogs were taken from a neglectful situation, and their progress since then has been going well.
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office on Nov. 6 responded to a Malone home, where deputies found hazardous conditions and an initial count of 40 to 50 dogs in various degrees of health. After several hours of removing the dogs to Eastshore Humane Association's care, the final count was 70 dogs .
The Fond du Lac Humane Society and Neenah Animal Shelter both took in several of the dogs , including the 11 that are now at the Fond du Lac Humane Society, according to shelter Manager Beth Rogan.
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The dogs that came into Fond du Lac were filthy, matted, covered in fleas and in various stages of dehydration, and some were malnourished. Staff and groomers had to cut through the matted fur to find collars and tags to get their names, ages and medical information.
One of the dogs, named Hope, came in with wire tangled in her fur and growths on her mammary glands, and she turned out to be one of the oldest of the bunch at 11 years old this November.
“It was nice to actually know that her birthday was, unfortunately, the day we spayed her,” Rogan said. “It was nice to have those tags, even though nobody was current (on vaccines). But we got to know their real names, their real ages, their real birthdays and what problems they have had.”
In a rough first week, the dogs were patient as Rogan and two groomers set to work on the hours-long task of shaving their matted hair off after they had a couple of days to settle in. Afterward, they all needed vet care, including tapeworm treatments, spays and neuters, surgery for Hope and dental care for about half of them.
Now, a month later, they're much happier and more playful as they come close to being ready for adoption, though shelter staff have noted a few to be on the shy side.
“They're very active and energetic, and some, like Hope here, would rather just sit on your lap,” Rogan said. “I'm anxious to get our first one out the door in his forever home. This is a nice in-between from what they lived in, to get them all prepared for their new home, and then get them in their own homes with new owners that are going to care about them.”
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The dogs arrived after the humane society also aided in two cat hoarding situations.
Not long before the dogs came into the Fond du Lac Humane Society, the shelter also took in two large groups of cats from separate hoarding cases, all of which also needed medical attention and spays and neuters.
Many of the cats from the first case are feral, not used to human interaction, and are best suited as working cats for local farmers, Rogan said.
The 24 cats of the second case came from a home in October and included kittens and pregnant mothers. Rogan said the cats have been very sweet, and the shelter has adopted out several of them so far.
“The family tried to love on them as much as they could, but once again, it's a lot of cats,” she said.
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The next step for the dogs is for them to go to their new forever homes. Rogan recommends they go to quiet homes without little kids because of what they've been through.
Any adopters through the Fond du Lac Humane Society must be at least 21 years old with verifiable identification. The application, available on the shelter's website, will ask about other people and pets in the household and require that other pets in the home be spayed or neutered and up to date on rabies vaccinations.
With all three cases, the shelter had put out a call for supplies to support the extra animals, and community members and local businesses came out in force with food, blankets, cleaning supplies and more.
“The community has been great about pouring in for whatever we ask,” Rogan said.
Holiday Automotive also featured the dogs and the Fond du Lac Humane Society as their Giving Tuesday recipient, making a call for adoptions and collecting donations through Dec. 9.
Additionally, with the vet bills, dental bills and other expenses, the humane society's biggest donation need is in their finances. The Fond du Lac Humane Society Facebook page includes the “Home for the Holidays: Help Heal Their Hearts” campaign, raising money during the holidays to help recover some of these funds.
More about donating is also available at fdlhumane.org/make-a-donation.
Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at dlemke@gannett.com.
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