Residents, rescue groups and Petsmart assist in animal rescue

ELEVEN MILE CORNER- What started out as a story about animal hoarding has turned a charge for local residents, businesses and area rescue groups to help Pinal County Animal Care and Control.

In the wake of Tuesday’s discovery of 185 animals at a residence in Apache Junction, Animal Care and Control assisted in housing 42 dogs and 89 rabbits that were taken from the site.

“Although this case is in the jurisdiction of Apache Junction, we are more than happy to help out their Animal Care and Control in housing some of the dogs and rabbits that were taken from the home,” said Ruth Stalter, the Pinal County Animal Care and Control Director.

Stalter said the response from the community has been “astounding.”

“On Tuesday the Superstition Horsemen’s Association went above and beyond the call of duty to help both Apache Junction and Pinal County out,” Stalter said. “The Horsemen’s Association helped to box the rabbits taken from the site and actually used a horse trailer to transport them to our facility at Eleven Mile Corner.”

The following day Stalter said calls began coming in from people wanting to help.

“A resident from Casa Grande, Bea Lueck, had some rabbit cages she donated from her daughter’s days in 4-H,” Stalter said. “Lueck was a rabbit judge and helped us identify the breed of rabbits we had at the shelter. Local animal rescue groups from Phoenix and Tucson have been showing up at the shelter helping to foster those animals that we have for adoption. This helps to create space for those dogs we have from Apache Junction.”

The animals taken from the hoarding case are not up for adoption since they are part of an ongoing investigation. On Friday, a veterinarian will be visiting the county shelter to examine the animals from Apache Junction.

The local Petsmart in Casa Grande has donated bowls, water bottles and food, along with clippers and shampoo to help groom the dogs.

“Petsmart Charities are also going to be donating some more rabbit pens as well,” Stalter said.

One unusual job given to workers at the county shelter has been the clipping of the rabbits toe nails.

“It took us all day on Thursday to clip rabbit toenails,” recalled Karyn Vandenberg, an office supervisor at the shelter. “If you add it up with 89 rabbits we had to cut 1,840 toenails. We were busy for hours.”

Following up on Vandenberg’s comment, Stalter added that the staff at county has really turned the endeavor into caring for the animals into a team effort.

“We couldn’t have done this without the help of the staff,” Stalter said. “We have had members of our department come in on their days off and work extra hours to help these dogs and rabbits. This is an entire department endeavor from Kennel Techs, Field Officers and Office Staff they have all stepped up and have put in extra effort that was needed to make this happen.”

What has been a rough time for the animals has turned into a shining moment for those who have taken the time to help.

“People have really stepped up for those animals in distress,” Stalter said. “This is a testament to our community and how we stand up for each other.”

For adoptions, Animal Care and Control is open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon at at 764 S. Eleven Mile Corner Road just south of the Pinal County Fairgrounds.

In addition, there is an adoption site at the Petsmart in Casa Grande at the Promenade Mall from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Submitted photo