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Residents demand independent review after 25 sled dogs starve; assembly hears weeks of testimony
Summary
Dozens of residents, mushers and rescuers told the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly that repeated calls about a Caswell kennel went unheeded, asking for an external investigation, transparency from borough animal-control staff and accountability for failures that preceded the deaths of 25 dogs.
Dozens of residents and members of the mushing community filled the borough chambers Tuesday night to press elected officials for action after the deaths of at least 25 sled dogs at a licensed kennel in Caswell Lakes.
Speakers recounted multiple reports to the borough’s animal-control office beginning in January and said volunteers who offered food, water and shelter were repeatedly told to stand down. Several witnesses said they were told by an officer that the situation was 'under control' and quoted that officer as promising, 'I will not let these dogs starve,' comments members of the public said were not honored in the ensuing weeks.
The assembly heard names and firsthand accounts from volunteers and former kennel staff. Holly Thorson, a longtime foster and rescuer, told the assembly those dogs 'waited for months on end for the humans…
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