Hundreds of dogs head south to Nevada

Tuesday, April 16, 2002 | 9:28 a.m.

The rented truck and its driver were headed south, trying to put the legal woes of Dama's Dog Foundation in the rearview mirror.

Wirries tried to save unwanted dogs from euthanasia by finding them a home. But her no-kill program became a dumping ground, attracting 300 by last week.

Her foundation took over day-to-day operations of the Rexburg Animal Shelter in summer 2000, designating it a no-kill shelter.

Donations were scarce, but the number of dogs snowballed. So did the neighbor's complaints.

The remaining dogs left in bunches on Monday. Thirty were bound for new homes at the Teton Valley Humane Society; five went to Salt Lake City to start new lives as members of search and rescue teams; others were taken in by the Bonneville Humane Society.

But Jefferson County Prosecutor Robin Dunn may prosecute Wirries for animal cruelty. Dunn said a similar charge several years ago complicates the situation.

In the late 1990s, Dunn said, Wirries ran a kennel with about 30 dogs out of her home. When neighbors complained, she agreed to remove the dogs and not allow a similar situation to occur in exchange for dropping any legal action.

In mid-February, County Sheriff Blair Olsen told Wirries to move the dogs by March 1 or face cruelty-to-animal charges. Dunn filed charges against Wirries, a Washington resident, in early April.

Wirries acknowledged the foundation was too crowded but denied the cruelty charges.

The truck carried the dogs to a large plot of land near Hawthorne, Nev., donated by a friend of Wirries.

Funding could be as hard to find in Nevada as it was in Idaho, said Dixie Torsak of Rigby, who worked at Wirries' kennel for two years and is headed to Nevada.

"One thing we won't have is dogs being dropped off, because it's so far away from everyplace else," Torsak said, "and there is no livestock nearby, and there are no neighbors."

She said she plans to return to Rigby as soon as possible.