Neglected Cats, Dogs Finally Can Be Adopted

OREGON CITY, Ore. - Eleven animals locked up at the Clackamas County Dog Shelter for more than three years have won their freedom after legal appeals ran out for a woman convicted of animal neglect.

Jessie, an Ibizan hound, was the first pet to be sprung, going home with new adoptive owners on Christmas Eve. Jessie was one of 37 animals seized in 1993 from West Linn, Ore., breeder Ann Hunter, who was eventually convicted of 37 counts of animal neglect.

While Hunter's appeals dragged on, a state law forced the shelter to keep the animals, at a total cost of more than $180,000. Several sick pets died at the shelter, and others were turned over to Hunter's representatives.

Ten other animals - another Ibizan hound named Sugar and nine Oriental cats - also went up for adoption after the Clackamas County Dog Control was informed Monday that Hunter's appeals had been exhausted.

Jessie didn't have to wait long. David Scott and his wife, Jean Scott, had spotted her during a visit to the shelter eight months ago. On Tuesday the 5-year-old dog, with a bright red ribbon around her neck, went home for the holidays.

"She'll never be locked up again or tied up - just on a leash," David Scott said.

Three years ago, authorities found Jessie and other pets living in squalor at Hunter's residence. Jessie was curled up in a feces-and-urine-soaked crate, her body covered with sores and fleas.

Hunter was sentenced to three years' probation and 100 hours of community service.