Community donations for seized dogs tops $38,000

PALMER — The account is closed, the check has been issued and, when it was all said and done, two animal advocates gathered more than $38,000 for dogs seized from a Willow-area breeder.

Julia Durand with Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue and Linda Henning of Alaska Dog News set up the fund to accept donations for the husky-mix dogs seized from Frank Rich. The check, which was actually made out for $38,057.59, was handed over two weeks ago and the Wells Fargo bank account closed. Donations can still be made to the Mat-Su Borough animal shelter.

“We thank all the people and organizations who made this fund-raiser a howling success!” Henning says in an e-mail.

Cash donations, though substantial, represented just one of many ways the public reached out to help. Others donated materials. Alaska Job Corps had a class nail together donated wood to build doghouses.

State troopers allege the more than 150 dogs seized from Rich’s property were malnourished and dehydrated. Some had already died by the time help arrived. Rich was slapped with 50 counts of animal cruelty and the borough has won a ruling granting it permanent ownership of the dogs. Some have been adopted out to new families. Many aren’t ready yet, according to the borough.

Rich was jailed, but made bail and was released. His criminal case had a hearing on Friday at which his trial was pushed back from March 3 to March 10.

—Andrew Wellner