The Webster County Pound is full.

“Full-full. Animals in pop up kennels full,” read the Webster County Animal Protection’s Facebook post on Monday.

According to Kaila Benson, contractor for Webster County Animal Protection, the facility is bursting at the seams with animals, some that are strays and more than two dozen dogs that were recently seized by law enforcement from an alleged puppy mill.

“This is a really difficult position for us to be in because that means we’re unable to intake strays,” said Benson.

According to Benson, Webster County Animal Protection and Lucky Dog Training are also working alongside Moffitt Animal Shelter in Humboldt and Peace Creek Animal Shelter near Badger to ensure that all animals are taken care of. The burden of animal care, Benson said, falls on Ashleigh Bogardus, owner of the pound, who also pays for the animals’ care from her budget.

“We believe it is our duty to Webster County to follow through on getting dogs out of potentially dangerous situations and away from suffering, regardless of what that means for us,” said Benson. “If that means that our facility is full for a short time and we have to fly by the seat of our pants with pop-ups, then that’s what’s done. Doing a big seizure like this is the most difficult way to go about it. It is truly a labor of love and this has not been an easy time for us.”

The legal status on the 29 dogs which were seized will be determined later this week in Webster County court. In the meantime, Benson and Bogardus continue to care for all of the animals in the care of Webster County Animal Protection.

“We do this all in the name of not euthanizing healthy, adoptable animals,” said Benson.

The pound is always in need of dog and cat food, litter, flea and tick preventives, bones, treats, and even toys.

“Ashleigh tries extremely hard to provide these animals not only with shelter, but with enrichment and quality of life,” said Benson. “That means we don’t expect them to sit in a run with nothing to do all day. No animal deserves that.”

While the pound is full and not picking up strays due to being at capacity, Benson said it’s important for residents to note that the pound is not the appropriate place to surrender animals. That, she said, must happen through a shelter or animal rescue.

“Someone could get charged with false reporting for having us pick up an animal that actually belongs to them,” said Benson.

Even at capacity, Benson and Bogardus say they will continue to do their best to care for animals and to work with area rescues and shelters to ensure that adoptable animals are not euthanized and will find forever homes.

“We are grateful to the community for their support and understanding,” said Benson. “We appreciate those who are still kind even when we don’t have the ability to help immediately in a way that we’d want to. Working in animal control, sheltering, and rescue is very fluid and the challenges are always revolving. Please consider fostering, adopting, and sharing social media posts to find animals homes or donating towards their vet bills.”