MUSKEGON, Mich. — In Muskegon County, a civil case in circuit court will determine what happens to more than 40 wolf dogs currently housed at an exotic animal sanctuary.
Four of the dogs are now on their way to an Full Moon Farm, Inc., in North Carolina.
"There are only a handful of us that care about wolf dogs," says Nancy LaPorta, Full Moon's owner. "I'm one of that handful."
LaPorta has been caring for wolf dogs for decades, and is happy to take the four in. She says even if she didn't, there was never a plan to put them down.
"They would not have been euthanized," says LaPorta. "The state hasn't made any motion to euthanize."
This case was heard while a pending criminal case against the operator of Howling Timbers Animal Sanctuary is being scheduled for trial.
Monday's forfeiture hearing was only scheduled for one day, but stretched into a second day.
The attorney representing Howling Timbers Celeste Dunn opened the hearing by asking Muskegon County Circuit Court Judge Annette Smedley for an adjournment.
She said the State Department of Natural Resources has two years' worth of photographs, documents and reports about Howling Timbers that were only recently turned over to her for review.
Attorney Dunn asked for more time to properly prepare to defend her client Brenda Pearson and Howling Timbers.
Over the last decade, the facility in Muskegon County has taken in and currently houses 47 wolf dogs.
The judge agreed with the Muskegon County Prosecutors office, ruling that the forfeiture hearing must proceed on grounds that public safety and the safety of the wolf dogs are at stake.
Prosecutors were able to show that in recent years, a wolf-dog escaped from Howling Timbers, and that four individuals have been injured by the wolf dogs at Howling Timbers.
Three were volunteers helping at the facility. The most serious injury was to a small child who, according to investigators, lost a portion of her arm after being attacked by one of the wolf dogs.
The judge has been told Howling Timbers is an unlicensed facility that never reported those four bites and attacks to the local health department as required by law.
During the hearing Monday, a woman from a North Carolina facility asked the judge if she could take in four of those animals. The judge granted the request, and the animals are being transferred to her facility Tuesday.
It's unclear what is happening to the rest of wolf dogs at this point.
Last Friday, the prosecutor's office issued a statement about the case due to false claims made on social media recently.
"Our office supports animal rights and supports the ethical and legal treatment of animals. Our Office will continue to advocate for the safe, legal and appropriate care of all animals, including wolves and wolf-dog mix breeds. We believe that all animals deserve proper care and will do everything in our power to accomplish that goal," Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson said in a statement.
Brenda Pearson faces criminal charges, too. Those are for possessing a dangerous animal causing serious injury and possessing a wolf-dog without a permit. That trial is expected later this year.
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