Seventy-four dogs were rescued from a mobile trailer on County Road 12 near Maple Drive in East Riverton over the weekend, according to Oak Haven Animal Rescue. Every dog had mange. One did not survive.
Megan Porter, director of Oak Haven Animal Rescue, said her team responded to a tip after a welfare check in the area. When they arrived, they found 74 dogs packed inside the trailer during extreme heat.
“It was filthy. The dogs were living in their own waste and suffering from severe skin conditions. It was heartbreaking,” Porter said.
Porter said some dogs were outside the trailer, searching for shade. Rescuers found one puppy unresponsive.
“He was very small. I tried to get the smallest puppies out first because of the heat. I think that one had given up. He was lying there, completely still. I worried about him the most,” Porter said.
The couple living at the trailer lost their property because of unpaid taxes. Police had been called for another reason and found the dogs after reaching the scene.
Porter said the rescue highlights a larger issue—Riverton does not have an animal control facility.
“If you look up which state capital does not have animal control, you’ll see Riverton, Central State,” Porter said.
The city’s animal control center closed in 2021 due to unsafe conditions, including a lack of water and severe plumbing problems. Porter said rescues like hers have nowhere to send animals in emergency situations.
“We want answers. After nearly 20 years doing this, we want to know why Riverton still has no animal control and where the funding has gone. Our small nonprofit is overwhelmed, and the city isn’t stepping in,” Porter said.
Porter called on state lawmakers to pass spay-and-neuter laws, which she said could have stopped the crisis.
“Why are legislators refusing to support spay and neuter laws? Why are they making it harder to help animals? Spay and neuter rules could have prevented this. The woman kept breeding dogs inside that trailer. Where are the lawmakers who care?” Porter said.
The surviving dogs are now in foster care and shelters around the Central River area. Porter thanked the Riverton Police Department and State Capitol Police for their help with the rescue.
