Animal control takes in 10 dogs

MEADOW LAKES -- Ten dogs were taken by Mat-Su Borough Animal Care and Regulation from a Meadow Lakes home Thursday, after the owners' illnesses made caring for the dogs a health issue.

Mat-Su Borough Animal Care officer John Frey said he'd been working with the family since January and the couple has a file that predates his hire with the borough. The couple, he said, has worked hard to meet ACR's guidelines, but declining health forced them to give up the dogs.

"The doctors say the dogs have to go before [the owner] can come home," Frey said.

The ongoing file, Frey said, is largely made up of nuisance calls. After being called about barking complaints, Lesia and Barry Turner kept their dogs indoors. When ACR was called about stray dogs, they built a tall fence encircling their property.

"They just needed information on the laws and what was required," Frey said.

Lesia Turner said the dogs taken to the shelter Thursday are mostly golden Labrador mixes. They behave best when they're together, Turner said, and she hopes they can be adopted together, or at least in pairs. The dogs have a range of personalities, she said, from "Fly on the Wall," who creeps into a room unnoticed to "Piglet," a dog Turner swears was born to have puppies. Her last litter, she said, numbered 16. Of as much notoriety, she said is "Lucky," a mischievous year-old pup, and "Tillie," a dog with the attitude of a southern belle, who Turner said won't hesitate to let you know where you stand.

ACR Chief Officer Dave Allison said Friday the dogs were in the process of being checked for health and adoptability. The addition of 10 dogs in the shelter puts the shelter on "overfull" status, however, and Allison said adoption fees will be waived for dog adoptions through Tuesday afternoon. The $20 discount may be extended, he said, depending on the number of dogs in and out of the shelter during the weekend.

Frey and Turner said the dogs recently had their vaccinations, so their adoptions will be discounted by $27.50. That means they can be adopted for $60 -- $30 for borough registration and microchipping fees and a $30 deposit on the dogs that is refundable upon proof of their spaying or neutering.

For more information about the dogs or other animals available for adoption, call the shelter at 746-5500 or stop by. The shelter is located off 49th State Street, east of the Mat-Su Borough Central Landfill.