PORTLAND – Of the 41 dogs put up for adoption Thursday--after a breeder surrendered them last week--14 were still looking for homes Friday afternoon, the Oregon Humane Society said.
The OHS put the dogs up for adoption in its Northeast Portland location, where approximately 1,000 people walked through the doors Thursday. The total foot traffic one week earlier was less than 400 people.
In addition to the 27 dogs adopted from that group, 14 other dogs, nine kittens, four cats, a puppy and a rabbit also found homes Thursday.
About 50 people were in line to adopt the dogs as soon as the shelter opened, according to David Lytle, with OHS.
Slideshow: Breeder's dogs up for adoption at OHS
“There’s no doubt in my mind that all these dogs will be adopted,” Lytle said. “Some just might take a little longer than others.”
Lytle said these 41 dogs include expensive breeds such as Pomeranians, Shih Tzus, Maltese and several terriers and spaniels. But he warned the dogs are not house trained or leash trained.
The dogs are all adults and were raised in poor conditions, he added. And they will likely all need extra dental and medical attention as a result.
Still, Lytle expected 90 percent of the dogs would be adopted by the time the shelter closed Thursday afternoon.
A woman who bred the dogs in the Medford area turned them in because she couldn’t afford to comply with new breeding standards, according to the OHS.
Video: Breeder surrenders dogs to OHS
The facility where the dogs were housed once held as many as 500 dogs. The owner said people as far away as New York bought puppies from her.
“We applaud this breeder for doing the right thing,” OHS Executive Director Sharon Harmon said Saturday. “If someone can’t afford to provide dogs with the minimum care required by this law, then they should not be in the breeding business.”
The breeder, who was not identified, said she hopes “all these dogs will find good homes.” She thanked OHS for their help in starting that process.
The breeder had also voluntarily surrendered 40 dogs to OHS last March to comply with Oregon’s Puppy Protection Act. She was the first breeder to do so.
The act prohibits stacked wire cages through which feces and urine can fall. It requires that cages are large enough for dogs to move around in and that they are let out for exercise at least once a day.
Standards for record-keeping and sanitation are also included in the act. No more than 50 dogs are allowed in any facility.
