IC animal shelter treating half of 131 dogs surrendered to police in investigation

The Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center and other locations received 131 dogs Thursday following an investigation of a breeding kennel in Iowa City with unsafe living conditions. 

Before coming to the center, the dogs were housed in a breeding kennel in Iowa City. Chris Whitmore, director of the center, said the breeding kennel surrendered all dogs and puppies, and the center is now working on triaging and vetting them. The incident is still under investigation by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

The Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center is currently housing 60 triaged dogs, while the rest are being held in an undisclosed secondary location. These dogs are being treated by a veterinarian and administered vaccines for rabies.

Conditions were incredibly poor in the dog kennel. When law enforcement arrived at the scene, they found dogs that had injuries and heat stroke because of inadequate cooling. 

The “whelping barn,” where some of the dogs were being housed, was 94 degrees Fahrenheit without proper airflow. 

The animal shelter is also actively working on deworming, bathing, and grooming the dogs, and then placing them in a secondary building until they can be transferred to a rescue center or put up for adoption.

“Many of these dogs came in with no medical history and hadn’t been bathed or groomed,” Amiah DeWolf, programs coordinator of the center, said. “Most of the doodles were all matted and hadn’t been bathed or groomed in the way that they should have been.”

One dog later died as a result of heatstroke after arriving at the center, despite volunteers’ attempts to save its life. 

DeWolf said some of the dogs were kept in a shed on the property in which the conditions were just as poor.

The center will be closed until Monday to handle the influx of dogs, but Whitmore said they are still honoring preexisting appointments for other animal adoptions.

The shelter is currently accepting donations of puppy food, adult dog food, bleach, blankets, and towels. Residents can take their donations to 3910 Napoleon Lane, where there are designated bins located outside of the center.