FORT WORTH -- All of the 41 tiny spaniels found last week on a rural road in Denton County were in new homes Monday.
But some people who had hoped to adopt one of the Cavalier King Charles spaniels were frustrated by Sunday's adoption event at the Humane Society of North Texas in Fort Worth.People were in line by 4 a.m. Sunday outside the society's shelter at 1840 E. Lancaster Ave., said Shelly Meeks, assistant shelter manager. The event was advertised to begin at noon.But some of the spaniels were unavailable to those waiting.Some dogs went first to people on a waiting list. The Humane Society keeps "breed request lists" as a way to help move animals to new homes as soon as possible, she said.The Cavalier King Charles spaniel is not a common breed, but several do go through the society's shelter each year and a waiting list is kept, she said.People who stood in line were also surprised to learn that after they filled an application to adopt, their names were placed in a lottery."A couple of people were upset, and it has snowballed since then," Meeks saidA Humane Society news release stated that this lottery process "is not always communicated very clearly, and it happened in this case, as phone operators didn't explain the entire process to those calling about the spaniels."The news release also stated that the society "will be correcting internally" the communication process.Also, a few of the dogs have medical problems and were not yet ready for adoption. They were put under the care of members of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Club, USA, and may become available for adoption later.The Humane Society will provide contact information for the rescue groups.They will also add prospective owners' names to the breed request lists.Although some people Sunday were disappointed that spaniels were no longer available, some chose to stick around to see other dogs."They were given the opportunity to choose another dog, and several did," Meeks said.The dogs were all found on or near a rural road north of Sanger in Denton County last week, their coats matted and coated with feces and urine. And because of the dogs were adults and all but four were females, Humane Society officials have said they suspect the dogs were discarded from a "puppy mill."Two days earlier, 51 Maltese dogs in similar condition were found on a roadside outside of Flower Mound. Those dogs were taken to the Flower Mound Animal Adoption Center. Some were scheduled to be placed with rescue groups Monday.Of the rest, those that are healthy enough will be available for adoption after Wednesday, a spokesman said.As of Monday, no one had been arrested in the dumping of the dogs, a Denton County Sheriff's Department spokesman said.Some people have offered to contribute to a reward fund to help find the dog dumpers. For information, call the Humane Society at 817-332-4768. For the Maltese dogs in Flower Mound, call 972-874-6390.Bill Miller, 817-390-7684Twitter @BillMillerSTHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
