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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Woman allegedly lied about finding abandoned puppies at Corbin Park

A woman is facing a criminal charge of filing a false police report after claiming to find a box of eight abandoned puppies in Corbin Park near Post Falls last week. After an investigation was launched, animal control officers determined that the woman had lied about finding the puppies because she wanted to make sure an animal control agency would take them. She has been identified as Mariah F. Eutsler, 20, of Post Falls. Eutsler was reportedly doing a favor for a friend in Spokane, according to a Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office news release. Her friend’s dog had given birth to the puppies and he was unable to take care of them, so she agreed to help him get rid of them, the sheriff’s office said. She told investigators she lied because she was afraid she would get stuck with the puppies if animal control didn’t take them. She said she previously called the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service and was told that they didn’t accept owner-surrendered animals. That’s when she took them to Post Falls and claimed they had been abandoned. SCRAPS Director Nancy Hill said that as a general rule her agency cares for strays, abandoned and abused animals and doesn’t accept owner-surrendered animals. But she said there are exceptions and the agency has an agreement with the Spokane Humane Society, which accepts animals surrendered by their owners. Sometimes SCRAPS officers will even transport owner-surrendered animals from SCRAPS to the Humane Society, Hill said. “They are just a phone call away,” Hill said of the Humane Society. Generally if people are desperate and truly can’t care for the animals the shelter will accept them, Hills said. The shelter took in 168 owner-surrendered animals between January and May this year, she said. Hill said she was unaware of the specifics of Eutsler’s contact with SCRAPS, which doesn’t keep records about routine phone inquiries. The puppies are being cared for by the Power of the Paw animal rescue in Post Falls, where they will remain until they are ready for adoption.