The 44 dogs seized from a Marysville hoarding operation are clearing their final medical hurdles at the Everett Animal Shelter, with spay and neuter surgeries being scheduled ahead of adoption.
The shelter and Marysville police shared the update in a joint announcement the week of Sept. 25, covered by The Daily Herald. The dogs, including 42 West Highland White Terriers and two other breeds, have been fully released from a weeks-long parvovirus quarantine and are progressing well, the shelter said.
More than 250 people submitted adoption applications. The surgery scheduling means placements are approaching. The shelter said it will begin contacting prospective adopters so the dogs can move to permanent homes, Fox 13 reported.
No specific adoption date has been announced.
Marysville police removed the dogs Aug. 31 from what the department called "extreme breeding-hoarding conditions" inside a utility trailer. Officers found makeshift partitions, stacked kennels and a plastic storage tub holding young puppies, according to The Herald's earlier reporting. The dogs ranged from about four weeks to four years old. None had been spayed or neutered.
Many arrived at the shelter heavily matted, covered in urine and feces, with several showing signs of medical distress. Shortly after intake, one dog tested positive for parvovirus, triggering the full quarantine. One young adult female required hospitalization but has since recovered and returned to the shelter.
Two volunteer grooming teams helped transform the dogs' condition. Groombar Marysville and A Pet Spa spent seven hours at the shelter removing 14 pounds of matted fur in a single session, bringing the total mats removed to 25 pounds, according to the Lynnwood Times.
"They all have something wrong with them. I'm going through the medical reports now, and every single one of them has something, but all of that can be taken care of with time," Marysville Community Service Officer Joie Mette told KOMO News on Sept. 25.
The shelter's staff described the past few weeks as intense and emotional in a social media post around Sept. 28, thanking the community for donations and messages of support from around the world.
On the legal side, Mette has submitted 43 counts of second-degree animal cruelty and one dog-breeding charge to the Marysville Prosecutor's Office. The suspect, Lance Blodgett, faces a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 365 days in jail and a $5,000 fine per dog. Whether the prosecutor's office has formally filed the charges is not yet public.
The shelter is still accepting monetary donations and items from its Amazon Wishlist to cover ongoing care costs. Leslie Wall, assistant animal services manager, said on Sept. 25 that residents can also foster other animals or volunteer their time at the shelter.
