At four in the morning on November 1, the morning after Halloween, Dave Pauli, director of The HSUS's Northern Rockies Regional Office, awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. He was about to receive some frightening news: Just hours earlier at the Canadian border, U.S. Customs Service officers had stopped a tractor-trailer stuffed with 171 dogs and 11 cats who were all apparently trapped in the unventilated truck, breathing air thick with ammonia.

The animals, who had been stuck in the tractor-trailer for nearly a week, were allegedly traveling from Alaska to Arizona where their owners had planned to relocate their breeder kennel. Customs officers thought something was amiss with the semi, according to the Anchorage Daily News, when they noticed "urine caked to the outside of a 40-foot semi trailer. Then they heard the yapping of dogs."

Once officers opened the door, there were more surprises. Inside the trailer, the dogs, mostly collies, were crammed inside 66 wooden boxes built along the floor or shoved inside airline kennels that were stacked three high and secured with cords or ropes, officers told the Daily News.

Some of the kennels had fallen, and some dogs had escaped. The ones roaming the floor were walking through waste nearly four inches deep. All the animals were suffering in some way, whether from severe dehydration, upper respiratory infection, malnutrition or just matted coats. One dog had died. Many of the dogs were too weak to walk. About 20 firefighters had to unload the animals.

"I've been a street officer for 14 years," Toole County, Montana Deputy Sheriff Don Hale told the Anchorage Daily News. "I'm not saying I've seen it all or done it all, but I've seen a lot of things and walked into situations most people would run from. When I came out of the trailer after taking my initial photographs, I wanted to cry. It was deplorable, absolutely deplorable."

The animals' owners, Jonathan Lewis Harman and Athena Lethcoe-Harman, were immediately arrested and were later charged with 182 counts of animal cruelty. In Montana, animal cruelty is a misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony on second offense for acts of deliberate cruelty. The Harmans faced penalties of up to $500 in fines and up to six months in jail for each misdemeanor count.

Because county prosecutors said the Harmans' trial wouldn't begin until December or January, the animals had to be kept as evidence until then. They could not be adopted out to new homes. The collies and cats, in fact, could remain under county control for months.

That's why Dave Pauli's phone was ringing at 4 a.m. A Toole County sheriff's deputy wanted Pauli's help in coordinating the rescue, recovery, and care of these animals.

Pauli began contacting the NRRO network of local animal control agencies for help in evaluating and caring for the dogs and cats. Representatives from Cascade County Humane Society and Flathead County Animal Control arrived and began examining, photographing, and collaring each dog and cat. Officials decided that the horse barns at Marias Valley Fairgrounds in Shelby, Montana, about 36 miles south of the Canadian border, would serve as the temporary shelter for the adult dogs. The locals in Shelby have since dubbed the fairgrounds "Camp Collie."

The puppies and cats were secured at a nearby private facility. People in and around Shelby immediately began volunteering their time to help the animals. Some made special trips to Shelby to walk or feed or just comfort the dogs and cats. Others donated money or food.

Despite the public assistance, however, the animals were still in need veterinary care and housing. A team of county and non-profit agencies worked around the clock for the animals. Aside from the County Humane Society and Flathead County Animal Control, the team included Toole County Search and Rescue, the Lewis and Clark County Humane Society, Brighteyes Sanctuary, and the Montana Animal Care Association.

Even though the Northern Rockies Regional Office hired the initial veterinary team and funded the animal health assessment, the costs for caring and housing the animals still remained high. Officials say it could run $35,000 a month, an amount that could stress county coffers.

Case Update

The Harmans' first trial in ended on January 31, 2003 in a hung jury. They will face a new trial on animal cruelty charges in April.

If convicted, the defendants may immediately file for another jury trial in District Court, which means that there could ultimately be three jury trials for this case, and that the dogs could be in custody until June of 2004.

The collies are still at the fairgrounds in Shelby, Montana, but must be moved by June 1. The NRRO is helping to locate a new home for the dogs.