LAHARPE — On top of his duties as LaHarpe Police Chief, Joe Stotler has been forced to become something of a foster parent for abandoned dogs.
He’s not alone.
With an influx of dogs being illegally dumped in town — he’s counted six in the past few weeks — Stotler and other city employees have done all they can to find new homes for the animals.
“But we can’t take any more,” Stotler told the Register.
On Wednesday, the city received a call of two small dogs stuck in a road whistle.
They’re being held in the city pound, where Stotler, et al, are trying to find them a suitable home.
As per state law, the dogs will be kept in the pound for at least five days, at which point they could be euthanized, although Stotler isn’t fond of seeing dogs meet such a fate.
“We’ve reached out, seeing if somebody can take them,” Stotler said.
Of the six most recent dumping instances, a home has been found for each dog. Two are being kept by folks on a temporary basis until a “forever home” can be found.
Wednesday’s encounter led to some online sleuthing, and Stotler was able to identify the previous owner.
He anticipates filing a criminal charge of cruelty to animals — knowingly abandoning any animal any place without making proper provisions for its care — which could lead to a hefty fine.
“I guess I just want this to be educational by reminding people dumping animals is illegal,” he said.
Stotler suspects the issue has become exacerbated in recent weeks because the Allen County Animal Rescue Facility in LaHarpe is filled and cannot take in any more dogs or cats. (Plus, the facility is closed until next week because of a parvo outbreak.)
But that hasn’t stopped the influx.
Stotler recounted instances where owners have dumped their animals inside ACARF’s fences, or simply left them in a box outside the building.
