SAUK RAPIDS, Minn. — Two Central Minnesota Animal Care and Control staff are reportedly out of their jobs after several dogs were left outside in subzero temperatures Tuesday, according to a Facebook post, St. Cloud Times reports.
A shelter staffer on duty that morning was fired, and Animal Welfare Administrator Lisa Tenter resigned, according to the post that appeared Friday on the shelter's Facebook page. Calls to the shelter Friday to confirm the post had yet to be returned.
Also on Friday, St. Cloud Health Director Matt O'Brien said St. Cloud Animal Control moved its dogs from the shelter and started a contract with Tri-County Humane Society.
He would not say if the change was in response to several dogs being left outside the shelter in subzero temperatures Tuesday — video of which was posted on social media.
The shelter has had a "pristine record for over 10 years," the Facebook post read, dismissing "untrue rumors" circulating on social media about Tuesday's incident.
"We do not want to hide the fact that leaving animals outdoors in such weather conditions, even for short periods of time, can be very dangerous to all animals," the Friday post said.
Several dogs were left outside the shelter in subzero temperatures Tuesday morning, according to Sauk Rapids police and a witness who called the police.
The police narrative, shared by Chief Perry Beise, states an officer showed up when six to eight dogs had been outside at least 15 to 20 minutes. The average temperature Tuesday was minus 18, according to the National Weather Service.
"I observed one smaller dog who was standing in place with one leg up shivering," according to the officer's report, shared by Beise. "The fenced in area has a wind shelter wrapped around the fence, but numerous ties were not attached and the wind screen provided very little protection for the dogs as well."
Beise said no dogs were injured and no citations issued against the shelter, which houses dogs for local municipalities.
"We didn't think it rose to that level," Beise said of a citation.
Ripple effects in St. Cloud
St. Cloud officials learned of the incident on Wednesday and immediately dispatched Animal Control Officer Michelle Booth to the shelter, O'Brien said. "We sent somebody out right away to make sure the dogs were OK."
St. Cloud had only about five dogs there this week, O'Brien said. St. Cloud used to shelter dogs there for various reasons, including quarantine or because they were strays found in the city.
The city has been in touch with the Tri-County Humane Society for months, O'Brien said. "They've been a very good resource for us, a very good partner."
No one would answer the door
Witness Leslie Parris, who was working next door to the shelter on Tuesday, said the dogs were outside for at least 55 minutes, and the smallest one showed signs of distress.
Parris went over to the shelter Tuesday morning to check on the littlest dog because it wasn't moving very much, she said.
"All of its exposed skin was bright red, like my hands," Parris said, who didn't wear gloves for about five minutes outside. "I couldn't believe the pain I was in."
Parris knocked on all the doors and banged on the windows of the building but didn't get a response, she said. So she called police.
The officer who responded also knocked on the doors to no avail, according to the police narrative. He went to Tenter's Sauk Rapids home when she didn't answer a phone call.
Tenter, the animal welfare administrator, told police an employee usually lets the dogs out while cleaning, according to the police narrative. She then went to the shelter herself and let in the dogs.
As of publication, no one returned voicemails or an email sent to the shelter on Friday.
The shelter left a word of caution in the Friday Facebook post: "Please remember that if you, personally, would not stand outside (uncovered) with your pet, then do not make your pet stand outside."
