Everett Animal Shelter given control of seized dogs

EVERETT — Custody of the nearly 160 dogs rescued from a suspected puppy mill near Gold Bar was turned over to the Everett Animal Shelter on Monday.

The dogs that were seized by Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies and animal control officers Jan. 16 won’t be ready for adoption for at least a month, officials said.

First, the dogs will undergo careful evaluation by a veterinarian, Everett city spokeswoman Kate Reardon said. The city operates the shelter.

Dogs requiring specialized care will be transferred to breed-­specific rescue groups, Reardon said. The remaining dogs, about 100, will be placed in foster homes where the animals’ temperament and other traits will be tested in a home environment.

“All the foster families that are going to be reached out to in this effort are approved, trained. They know how to do this,” Reardon said.

Once ready, the city plans to host an adoption event where anyone interested can apply and may go home with a pet.

The selection process is being worked out.

“If you’re not on a list somewhere, don’t worry, there will be time, I promise,” she said.

The dogs’ former owners failed to meet a Friday deadline to post more than $72,000 worth of bonds or to petition a court to prevent the dogs’ transfer.

The couple who lived in the Gold Bar-area home where the dogs were found were charged in Everett District Court last week with six counts of animal cruelty.

Sheriff’s officials say the Gold Bar-area dogs are connected to Renee Roske and Mary Anne Holleman, two sisters who ran a Snohomish kennel. The puppy mill investigation lead officials from the sisters’ business to a Mount Vernon-area kennel run by their mother, Marjorie Sundberg.

Skagit County sheriff’s officials seized around 450 dogs from Sund­berg’s home.

Sundberg was charged in Skagit County Jan. 29 with four counts of animal cruelty. She failed to appear in court Tuesday for her arraignment.

An arrest warrant has been issued.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.