South Suburban Humane Society steps up after 146 dogs rescued from hoarder

Some dogs rescued in late October from a hoarding situation involving 146 animals in West Virginia got a lucky break thanks to the Matteson-based South Suburban Humane Society and its network of foster homes.

Soon after arriving from the Humane Society of Parkersburg in West Virginia 20 small dogs that had experienced a rough start in life were in loving— if temporary — homes in the Chicago area.

When South Suburban Humane Society officials heard about the situation, they didn’t flinch.

“We have been in situations where we are over-capacity — which we always are,” said Megan Rola-Podczaski, chief operating officer of SSHS. “Because these were small-breed dogs, and clearly the shelter in Parkersburg was overwhelmed, … we were able to take them and get them into foster homes.”

The dogs are comfortable and decompressing for now. Rola-Podczaski said some had flea-allergy dermatitis, long toenails or were underweight. They range in age from an estimated 6 months to 12 years.

But several behind-the-scenes rescue organizations worked hard to facilitate the transition from the Parkersburg Humane Society to SSHS as well as other shelters or people.

The situation unfolded after the West Virginia shelter got a call that 10 dogs needed a “welfare check” only to find on arrival there were 146 dogs on the property. Once removed, the dogs were vaccinated, checked by veterinarians and technicians and given warm baths. They then went to shelters that had space, including the Humane Society of Greater Dayton in Ohio, SICSA Pet Adoption and Wellness Center in Ohio, Humane Fort Wayne in Indiana and SSHS in Matteson.

It was Best Friends Animal Society, a national network of life-saving shelters and rescue organizations that helped make that smooth, quick transition happen.

“Best Friends came through for us in a real way,” said Gary McIntyre, executive director of the West Virginia Humane Society.

He said they were at maximum capacity when they got the call, so they needed to work fast.

“They had no leash training and none were house-trained, so that was a bit of a challenge,” McIntyre said. “Within 24 hours, we lined up the first group of 18 dogs to go to two shelters in the Dayton area on Friday. We also had plans finalized to send another 30 on Saturday to Indiana and Illinois.”

In the end, “Best Friends was able to provide many more rescue resources than we were able to send animals to,” McIntyre said.

McIntyre said that sort of assistance from Best Friends is always appreciated.

“We have been partnered with Best Friends for several years and they have proved so helpful in increasing our life-saving numbers, as well as providing insight on our cat/kitten program, trap, neuter, release, vaccinate and behavior modification program,” he said.

Best Friends, which is working to make every shelter in the country no-kill, implements programs that save pet lives, helps out in natural disasters and coordinates rescues with shelters, like it did in the West Virginia hoarding case. The organization is based in Kanab, Utah, and has satellite operations in New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, Salt Lake City, and northwest Arkansas.

Once word got out to the Chicagoland Lifesaving Coalition that homes for the hoarded dogs were needed, South Suburban jumped in to help. By Nov. 2, transport was arranged for the dogs to Matteson and by Nov. 3, the dogs were in foster homes.

“It always feels good to help out in situations like this,” said Tierney Sain, a strategist for Best Friends. “We see the good, the bad, and the ugly. But we’re passionate, we care deeply, and we believe in our community. Situations like this are good reminders of why we do what we do, how important it is, and to never give up.”

Back at SSHS, Rola-Podzaski also believes in the cyclical nature of doing good things.

“We believe in giving back when we can,” she said. “At the moment we were able to give back. We hope in the future that is returned to us.”

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.