Woods Humane Society seeks to adopt out seized dogs from Atascadero

Woods Humane Society plans to shelter and find homes for many of the 46 dogs seized by county officials from an Atascadero home last month — and is asking for the public’s help.

For three weeks, the animals have been held at a temporary shelter in the livestock area behind the San Luis Obispo County Animal Services building on Oklahoma Avenue because the main shelter was already full. The dogs are of various ages and breeds, with various medical and dental needs.

Before adopting any of the dogs, however, Woods Humane Society said it needs to replenish its veterinary fund (called Crystal Fund) in order to first treat, spay and neuter the dogs. The nonprofit announced Thursday that recent emergency expenses for four of its animals have cost the organization more than $5,000.

On Aug. 17, Atascadero police and Animal Services officials served a search warrant at a home in the 7400 block of Bella Vista Road after receiving credible information that the home’s resident, Suzanne Sollenne, was housing dogs in unhealthy and overcrowded conditions. A second tip indicated that many of the dogs were in need of immediate medical care, officials said.

Animal Services Director Eric Anderson said at the time that most of the animals were confined to the upper floor of the roughly 1,700-square foot house, and about half of those were housed in metal dog crates. Many were without access to food or water, Anderson said.

Most of the dogs are medium- to large-sized, with some suffering from only routine conditions while others were significantly debilitated, Anderson said. Many were malnourished, some had eye injuries and dental problems and a few suffered from some sort of neurological disorder. The most common injuries were bite wounds from other dogs, Anderson said.

The decomposing remains of two dogs were allegedly found in a yard next to the house.

Sollenne was arrested on suspicion of felony animal cruelty and briefly booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail before posting an unspecified amount of bail.

As of Friday, prosecutors had not charged Sollenne with any crime. San Luis Obispo County Assistant District Attorney Lee Cunningham said his office has received the case information from law enforcement, but it was still investigating the case. Sollenne currently has an arraignment scheduled for Sept. 22 in San Luis Obispo Superior Court, which could be continued if prosecutors are not yet ready to file charges.

Efforts to reach Sollenne on Thursday were unsuccessful. On her custommade.com profile from 2012, Sollenne listed herself as an artisan tile maker who has been “rescuing and rehoming deathrow dogs since 1993.” Since her arrest, several county residents have supported Sollenne on social media and claim to have adopted dogs from her over the years.

Anderson said a few dogs had to be euthanized — at least two because of severe medical issues and another because it was extremely aggressive — but he did not immediately have the precise number of euthanized dogs when contacted late Thursday. Anderson added that the county will keep a yet-to-be-determined number of the dogs to adopt, and a handful have already been transferred to the main shelter and are ready for adoption.

Steve Kragenbrink, director of marketing and community programs for Woods Humane Society, said the number of dogs it ultimately takes will be determined by how much money it has to care for the animals.

Once the dogs are available for adoption, Woods will not be advertising that they were among the seized dogs from Atascadero, Kragenbrink said.

“We’re encouraging people to come out and adopt the right pet for their family knowing that every space they free up (at the nonprofit) allows Woods to save another life,” he said.

This story was originally published September 9, 2016 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Woods Humane Society seeks to adopt out seized dogs from Atascadero."