PALMER — Matanuska-Susitna Borough officials say they plan to hire an outside investigator within the week to conduct a full review of Mat-Su’s animal enforcement actions related to the recent deaths of 25 dogs on a property in the Caswell Lakes area.
The investigation will focus on the actions of Mat-Su animal enforcement officials and animal regulation officer Joe Dickenson in response to residents’ complaints about conditions at the kennel, as well as potential updates to borough policies and regulations that could prevent such tragedies, borough Manager Mike Brown said in a late-night interview after a regular borough assembly meeting Tuesday.
“They’ve got to dive into our procedures, our policies, talk about what we did, what we didn’t why we didn’t, what we could do differently, and then bring forward some findings and recommendations,” he said.
Local residents found the 25 dead dogs at the kennel north of Willow early last week, following what witnesses said were months of complaints to Dickenson and borough animal control about the dogs’ feeding, care and kennel conditions. Dickenson said he wouldn’t let the dogs starve, resident Alyssa Buser, who raised concerns about the yard, said in an interview Tuesday.
One dog, Woody, was found alive in the yard and transported to a private veterinary clinic in Palmer last week before being moved by borough staff to the animal shelter for treatment, borough officials said. His condition at the time was “consistent with prolonged starvation, lack of basic husbandry, and neglect,” according to documents filed Tuesday at the courthouse in Palmer.
Woody is expected to make a full recovery, officials said during the meeting Tuesday. He will likely be moved from the shelter and placed in the care of a local rescue or foster program, Brown said.
Alaska State Troopers on Tuesday arrested 35-year-old Willow resident Misty Rehder on 26 Class C felony counts of cruelty to animals, according to a Department of Public Safety announcement and court documents released Wednesday. Rehder, who held a borough kennel license and was identified in the documents as the tenant of the property with the dog yard, was transported to the pretrial facility in Palmer.
Rehder acknowledged that if Woody was starving and dehydrated when removed from the yard, “it was likely the other dogs suffered the same fate,” according to the documents filed by trooper Mariano Barela.
Brown said he plans to appoint an investigator familiar with state and borough law and the court system by Friday. He said the report is likely to be completed within 60 days.
The investigator will coordinate the review with Deputy Borough Planning and Land Use Director Jason Ortiz, who has experience working with state and federal court systems but is not directly affiliated with the borough’s animal services department, Brown said.
Ortiz declined to comment on plans for the investigation.
Dickenson, who remains on duty, was not available for comment Wednesday, borough spokesman Stefan Hinman said in an interview. Dickenson did not respond to a request for comment sent by email.
The dogs’ deaths — and whether Dickenson should be immediately placed on administrative leave — were the focus of extended public comment and heated Assembly debate during the meeting, which stretched past 11 p.m.
About a dozen members of the public testified about the dogs early in the evening, including several who said they were eyewitnesses or had previously held seasonal jobs working with Rehder. Some audience members held large signs showing photos of the dogs.
“I think this is a clear failure of animal control,” said Sarah Loreth, who said she made multiple reports about the dogs’ condition. “I did not get a single phone call about my concerns.”
Assembly member Michael Bowles called for Dickenson to be immediately placed on leave without pay pending the results of the investigation and reinstated later with back pay if he is cleared of wrongdoing. He said the step is necessary to ensure no further incidents occur during the review.
Borough Attorney Nicholas Spiropoulos warned against that action, saying a temporary dismissal could violate a collective-bargaining agreement with a borough employee union.
Brown, who earlier in the meeting asked the public to give the borough time to complete the external investigation, said such a move is a “terrible practice” that circumvents the investigation process.
“What is the need to rush judgment if it’s just to swing people’s emotions?” Brown said during the meeting. “I’m sitting here telling the community, have a little patience, let the investigation run its course — and then we’re going to knee-jerk from the dais? I don’t get it.”
The Assembly voted 5-2 to reject Bowles’ proposal, with Bowles and Assembly member Dee McKee voting in support of Dickenson’s immediate removal. Bowles represents District 1, which includes Sutton, and McKee represents District 3, which includes portions of Wasilla and Palmer.
Assembly member Maxwell Sumner said he plans to request the borough establish a citizens advisory committee to review whether kennel regulations and oversight should be updated after the investigation is complete.
“Clearly, from what we can collect, people are saying it’s clear that the borough let people down and did not fulfill its obligation for animal care,” he said in an interview Wednesday. “I think it’s important that we have the input of the mushing community, specifically.”
The new group would augment the borough’s existing Animal Care and Regulation Board, which Sumner said does not include any mushers. Sumner represents District 5, which includes Wasilla.
