Most of the dogs seized several weeks ago in an animal cruelty case in Naples will soon be looking for new homes.
The Ontario County District Attorney’s office says Richard Justice agreed to surrender all 85 of the dogs and Jane Justice relinquished her rights to 80 of the dogs taken from the couples' home.
Dianne Faas, shelter manager at the Ontario County Humane Society, says the dogs will soon be available for adoption, and there's no lack of interest.
"We have over 200 applications for fostering and/or adoption, so we're looking at possibly doing a lottery system of getting the names in a hat and doing it that way, just because there has been so much interest," said Faas.
The dogs still have to be spayed and neutered, but are in generally good health, according to Faas. Some of the animals are still being treated for skin rashes due to flea infections, as well as eye and ear infections.
Shelter staff have been working to socialize the dogs, which are Cairn terriers and mixed-breed terriers ranging in age from 4 months to 9 or more years.
"We have a lot of them coming up to the kennel doors now and wanting to be social," Faas said. "It's a wonderful thing to see."
The Ontario County Humane Society received about $100,000 in donations to care for the animals. The agency was looking to raise $125,000 based on the costs associated with sheltering the dogs for three months, but now that they have been released for adoption, their time in the shelter could be much shorter. Any leftover money will be put into a fund to cover the costs associated with any future cruelty cases.
"We want to make sure that everybody understands that this money will help many animals over time," Faas explained. "We are very, very appreciative and humbled by the public response to our needs."
She said people can still apply to adopt any of the dogs through the end of this week. If the Humane Society's board approves of the lottery method of choosing adoptees, Faas said the adoptions may start in about 10 days.
In the meantime, the shelter is contacting area veterinarians to schedule the spaying and neutering of the dogs.
The five dogs not surrendered by Jane Justice are the subject of ongoing litigation. The district attorney's office says it's actively and aggressively prosecuting the cruelty cases and the payment of restitution for the veterinary and housing expenses for the dogs.
