Timberland Valley Dog Fanciers provide boost for Centralia Police Department

Dec. 22—With the recent uptick in stray dogs being found on Centralia's streets combined with the Lewis County Animal Shelter's decision to no longer accept animals picked up within Centralia city limits, the city's police department has purchased more kennels to hold canines while they attempt to locate the pet owners.

Now, thanks to a $4,050 donation from the Timberland Valley Dog Fanciers Association, a local dog club that hosts an annual dog show every September, the Centralia Police Department is halfway to the funding goal needed to build a dog run for strays.

The Centralia City Council approved the donation during its regular meeting on Dec. 12. Due to the size of the donation, council approval was required.

The entire cost of the dog run is estimated to be $8,115, according to the council's agenda report. Currently, the department has 11 kennels, but only six of them are indoors and the outdoor kennels are reserved for overflow.

The kennels are located at the Centralia Police Department's Mellen Street facility, which is where the dog run will be built.

Timberland Valley Dog Fanciers President Carol Walsh said it isn't the first donation the club has made to the department.

"One of the missions of our club is to support dogs and dog fanciers in the community, their health and their welfare," Walsh told The Chronicle on Tuesday, Dec. 19. "Last year, we donated to the Centralia Police Department and the Lewis County sheriff for their K9 units."

In prior years, the club has also donated money to the Lewis County Animal Shelter, she added. When Walsh and the other club members heard the Centralia Police Department could no longer leave animals at the county's shelter, they decided to help out.

"They have very minimal kennel facilities despite housing so many stray dogs," Walsh said. "We met as a board and decided to donate at least half."

Walsh added the Timberland Valley Dog Fanciers plan to hold more fundraising events next year to raise the rest of the remaining amount for the dog run.

Centralia Police Chief Stacy Denham, a self-described animal lover, wants to get the dog run built so animals in the department's custody can still be let out to run and play, as his officers often don't have time to take dogs out on walks.

"We take care of our furry friends," Denham said at a Nov. 14 Centralia City Council meeting while discussing the shortage of kennel space for stray dogs.

While in the past few months the Centralia Police Department's kennels have been full with as many as 10 dogs at a time, there was only one stray dog left when a Chronicle reporter visited the kennels on Thursday, Dec. 21.

That dog is a male Australian cattle dog that was found in the area of Cooks Hill Road and Swanson Drive on Monday, Dec. 18.

According to Centralia Police Commander Andy Caldwell, since the dog has now been in the department's custody for 72 hours, it becomes the department's property according to state law.

"That's changing to 48 hours here soon, too," Caldwell said.

The department partners with Cascade West Veterinary Hospital in Centralia to provide medical care any stray dogs might need and Valhalla Canine Rescue in Winlock, which assists to carry out stray dogs' adoption processes.

Though the department can legally let a dog be adopted after 72 hours, Caldwell added they don't just let anyone adopt an animal. The department screens potential adoptees for any history of animal abuse.

"You don't want to put an animal in a bad situation," Caldwell said. "We handle that before handing the dog off to Valhalla."

And even with the adoption option, Caldwell stressed that his officers always do their best to reunite dogs with their original owners if possible.

"What if you're on vacation and your dog gets out? Even though the law says three days, do you really want to, 72 hours later, try to get the dog out?" Caldwell added. "And again, that's changing to 48 hours, so we're not looking to get rid of dogs that quick. Because if you're on vacation, we don't want to give your dog away. We want to be sure we're being fair to people."

The Centralia Police Department utilizes its Facebook page, which has more than 9,000 followers, to attempt to track down stray dogs' owners.

"If we see chatter on Facebook that says, 'Hey, that's Joanne's dog, and she's been gone,' we're going to work with people," Caldwell said.

That being said, if no owner comes forward to claim an animal, the department will work on getting the dog adopted. Even if there is only one animal in the kennels, it still requires an officer's time every day, along with daily kennel cleaning and maintenance.

Caldwell said those interested in donating toward the completion of the dog run at the department's kennels should donate directly to the Timberland Valley Dog Fanciers Association, as that will mean less work for the department in processing donations.

To find out how to donate, contact the Timberland Valley Dog Fanciers Association on its website ar https://timberlandvalleydogfanciers.com/contact/, email the club at timberlandvalleydogfanciers@gmail.com or message the club on Facebook.

For those looking to adopt animals still, Red Rose Animal Rescue in Rochester and the Onalaska Farm Sanctuary have plenty of pets available for adoption. To find out more, visit https://www.facebook.com/OnalaskaFarmSanctuarylewiscounty and https://www.facebook.com/RedRoseAnimalRescue.

If a resident is trying to locate their lost pet, check the Centralia Police Department or Lewis County Animal Shelter Facebook pages.

Residents who can no longer care for animals are advised not to release them in the community. They can contact local rescues to start the rehoming process. For more information on rehoming services, visit https://rehome.adoptapet.com.