BILLINGS — The remaining 28 dogs seized by the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office in September from a home in Shepherd have been moved to the vacant former Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter building.
The dogs are the first animals to stay in the facility since an incinerator malfunction caused meth-infused smoke to shut the building down in September.
Watch this video to see the dogs in their temporary home:
Originally, 42 dogs were seized from the property. The others were reunited with their families weeks ago, though according to Yellowstone County Sheriff's Capt. Kent O'Donnell, all of the dogs were malnourished and needed to be nursed back to health.
"We had some that were in pretty rough shape," O'Donnell said Wednesday. "All of them were underweight."
Two sisters, Katie Marie Milliken and Rebekkah Lynn Collins, were charged with 14 counts of animal cruelty in connection with the case. The dogs had been kept on Milliken's property, which was used as a breeding operation, in unsanitary, crowded conditions. When they were seized, deputies reported seeing dogs shoved together in cages who hadn't been fed in a long time.
The sheriff's office had set up a tent on county land to house the dogs while searching for a more permanent solution. O'Donnell began working with the City of Billings for options to house the dogs.
Billings City Administrator Chris Kukulski said the decision to help was a no-brainer.
"They were desperate to find a space with this cold weather snap," Kukulski said. "We had the space. It was a simple decision."
O'Donnell said they struck a deal and had all of the animals moved into the facility by Monday.
"Luckily, kind of at the skin of our teeth, we were able to move into the animal shelter," O'Donnell said. "Now, we're in the process of adopting these dogs out."
Those dogs can be found on the Newfoundland Club of America Rescue Organization website for anyone interested.
While much of the community's focus is finding forever homes for the dogs, questions remain about the future of the former Yellowstone Valley facility. Kukulski said that if YVAS is able to build its own shelter, the current facility will be leveled and used by the Billings MET bus operations located next door.
"If the community is going to build a brand-new shelter, then it's not needed," Kukulski said. "It's going to be removed."
Kukulski said that plan is still very much undecided.
"Whether that will ultimately happen, those decision have to be made in the future," Kukulski said.
A lot of those decisions depend on what happens with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. In November, the Department notified the city of three failures involved in the incinerator incident, all of which could result in tens of thousands of dollars in fines.
"We're asking for an extension so we could get a thorough response to 'Here's the things we've done' and 'Here's what we plan on doing," Kukulski said.
Kukuski said he's confident that their response will prevent the city from being fined, which would ultimately be paid by taxpayers. Part of their plan to avoid fines is to search for a different incinerator to burn animal remains and confiscated drugs.
Kukulski said the closest incinerator is owned and operated by the Montana Highway Patrol and is located near Laurel. He said that at this time, no agreement for the city's use has been made.
"That unfortunately is going to take some time," Kukulski said. "We keep working with the state on that, but I feel like it'll be a long process."
