County Sets Up New Fund For Dogs
Pend Oreille County set up a new “dog rescue fund” Friday after a Seattle organization balked at releasing some of the $104,429 in donations it has received for dogs seized from the Newport-area kennel.
Authorities rescinded their previous advice that donations be sent to Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue.
Relations with that organization soured after its representatives said they didn’t want to reimburse some of the volunteers who helped remove dogs Jan. 4-5 from Jeanette and Swen Bergman’s Mountain Top Kennel near Newport. The volunteers rented trucks and paid for gasoline and other items to transport the dogs to kennels in Western Washington.
Representatives of Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue also resisted efforts to find how much money the organization had collected for the dogs.
Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Fritz said Seattle Purebred representatives refused to tell him how much the non-profit organization collected after the Sheriff’s Department publicly endorsed it to receive donations for the Mountain Top Kennel rescue. He said he had to contact bank officials to get the information.
After numerous requests from The Spokesman-Review, spokeswomen Gretchen Schumacher and Jennifer Schramm reported the amount Thursday evening. Schumacher and Schramm, the group’s attorney, said they had difficulty getting the information because the group’s treasurer refused to handle the account because of “police harassment.”
On Wednesday, Schumacher had said she wouldn’t reveal how much money had been collected even if she knew. She said the organization feared publication of the figure would influence the outcome of a Friday court hearing to consider the fate of the dogs.
Schumacher and Schramm said the organization has not received any of the disputed bills - $1,384 in costs related to transporting the dogs to kennels in Western Washington.
County officials say they have submitted those costs for payment on behalf of the volunteers, and are reviewing additional expenses.
“It is our presumption that it is a prosecution expense,” Schumacher said. “We just don’t do police work.”
She said the organization fears that paying for transportation costs might cause breeders to view it as an instrument of the police. If that happened, breeders might not come to it for help, fearing prosecution, she said.
Schumacher suggested that the disputed costs may be paid by another organization that specializes in helping raid “puppy mills.”
Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue has paid all of the bills received so far from Pend Oreille County commissioners, Schumacher said. Those include $7,140 to one kennel and $1,858 to another one, for a total of $8,998.
Although Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue is paying some of the county costs, Schumacher said the county “is ultimately liable for these expenses. There is no signed agreement between the county and SPDR guaranteeing these funds.”
“Lesson learned,” Fritz said, adding he didn’t think a contract was necessary because he was dealing with a non-profit organization.
Pend Oreille County officials said that they still hope to be able to tap the donations collected by Seattle Purebred, but even more money will be needed despite an agreement Friday that will allow the dogs to be placed in foster homes.
Deputy Prosecutor Tony Koures said people will be asked to care for the dogs without pay until the Bergmans’ trial in May is completed, but officials still anticipate thousands of dollars in expenses. He estimated that 30 to 40 large male mastiffs may not find foster homes and will remain in commercial kennels at a possible cost of $6,000 a month.
Additional kennel costs are expected while county officials screen foster-care applicants.
He said contributions should be sent to: Pend Oreille Dog Rescue Fund, care of DeAnne Downing, P.O. Box 30971, Spokane, WA 99223. Downing, a dog-rescue volunteer, will help county officials oversee the fund.
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