HAMILTON — A Ravalli County animal shelter recently received a call that a husky had to have its leg amputated because it was shot, but they ended up uncovering much more than just a couple dogs in need of their help.
After 60 hours of trying to bring in the huskies, the Bitter Root Humane Association now has over 30 new dogs which includes a litter of puppies. The shelter added had 17 dogs, as well as cats and birds. They are calling on the community's help this holiday season.
"At this point now we have about 25 to 30 adult huskies that were not sure where to go with at this point," said Bitter Root Humane Association operations manager Cyra Woehlke-Saltzman.
All of the huskies were in the wild before being rescued and shelter got to most of them before the elements or local residents could harm them. Because the dogs were in the wild, the organization has to take more time to find the right homes for them.
"We don't think they will be great with livestock, we don't think they will be great with smaller animals," Woehlke-Saltzman said. "But we don't know. We don’t have the time and resources to actually sit down and work with these dogs to see where we can home them."
While the Bitter Root Humane Association preps the neglected dogs into homes, people are still invited to stop by and spend some time with them.
"I would welcome that, that would make my heart happy because then we know that they are spending that time (and) bonding with that dog," Woehlke-Saltzman said. "Then we can actually see the interaction day-to-day.
But in the meantime, the shelter is filled beyond capacity, so they can use your help with donations including money, food, toys, blankets or time.
"That's the biggest thing right now. Volunteers that want to come in and start helping. Clinics that want to help. Rescues that are aware of us. If anybody wants to come help us at this point with donations or time that's something that we are needing the most right now," Woehlke-Saltzman said.
Some of the Huskies are bred with some wolf in them, so they might need some special accommodations to find a permanent home. Woehlke-Saltzman asks that anyone who knows of any husky rescues -- or anyone who might be able to accommodate the dogs -- to contact the shelter at (406) 363-5311 or visit their website.
