More than 100 dogs were removed Tuesday from an overwhelmed animal rescue shelter in Mountain View by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The request to remove the dogs from Innocent Hearts Animal Rescue, a self-described no-kill, nonprofit animal rescue organization, came from the Stone County sheriff's office.
"A lot of people in the community felt like she had too many dogs," Sheriff Lance Bonds said. "She meant well, but she was doing it by donations only, and she just got too many dogs. She asked for help. She called me and I called ASPCA."
Bonds said the owner of the shelter wouldn't face any criminal charges unless she attempts to reopen Innocent Hearts.
"She's agreed to shut down, and we're going to tell people" not to drop dogs off there, Bonds said. "The dogs were actually in good shape. Her health is not going to let her do it anymore."
The 115 dogs, ranging in age from puppies to 10 years old, have been transported to a temporary shelter in an undisclosed location, the ASPCA said in a news release. The dogs included huskies, Labs and beagles.
"We've pooled our resources from across the country to remove these dogs to a safe location where they will receive medical exams and care," said Kyle Held, Midwest regional director of ASPCA Field Investigations and Response, in the release. "We're glad that Innocent Hearts recognized they were no longer able to provide appropriate care before this became a critical situation."
Bonds said the shelter at one time held 250 dogs but hadn't presented a problem before being shut down.
"We've always had a dog problem, but this is the first time we've had someone actually trying to help house the dogs and keep them up have this kind of trouble," he said.
The Mountain View shelter shutdown follows last week's seizure of 46 dogs and 11 other animals from a suspected Warm Springs puppy mill by the Humane Society of the United States.
The society and other area organizations, including Central Arkansas Rescue Efforts for Animals, the Humane Society of Saline County and Randolph County Humane Society, assisted in the Feb. 19 rescue and removal of the animals, many that were found outdoors without any protection from the cold.
The other animals included three cats and eight chickens.
Metro on 02/26/2015