Majority of seized dogs euthanized

The majority of the 30 dogs seized by county authorities in Eureka earlier this month were euthanized Wednesday based on an evaluation of their socialization and adoptability.

Over the course of two weeks in captivity at the county's animal control facilities in Eureka and Libby, most of the dogs were found to be unpredictable and aggressive, said animal control officer Jessica Drake.

"In the best interest of these animals, holding them any longer is inhumane, because they are so unhappy," Drake said. "They are starting to fight with each other."

Many of the dogs already bore scars from previous fights, Drake said.

"The officers in Eureka had an ongoing problem with these dogs with vicious behavior in the past," she said.

The dogs were seized following the arrest of their owner, Fred Musil, 64, on assault charges stemming from a right-of-way dispute with a neighbor. Musil was barred from possessing any dogs by a court order issued in Lewis and Clark County. The order was issued after Musil was convicted of five misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty along with one misdemeanor count of failure to license his dogs. According to court documents, Musil had more than 50 dogs in his possession at the time.

By law, Musil was given 10 days to appeal the seizure of the dogs. No appeal was filed, however, leaving the dogs in the county's possession.

Three of the dogs were puppies estimated at around 3 months old, and those have been put up for adoption, Drake said. Another dog, which displayed markedly better behavior than the others, was found to belong to a friend of Musil's and was also spared from euthanization with the others.

The determination that most of the dogs were unadoptable was made by the county's four animal control officers, all of whom have received specialized training in animal behavior, said county sanitarian Ron Anderson, who oversees the animal control department. After several people called to question the decision, a veterinarian was brought in to inspect the animals. The veterinarian's evaluation confirmed the judgment of the animal control officers, Anderson said.

Keeping the dogs was beginning to impact the county's ability to care for other animals that may be adoptable, Drake said. She noted that in the past, as when a number of wolf hybrids were seized, the county has utilized outside resources to ensure that adoptable animals found homes but that in this case, adoption wasn't an option. Had they been placed in new homes, they almost certainly would have caused problems in the future, she said.

"These are not dogs I want to deal with in three months or six months or nine months," she said.