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MIDVALE — Two local women have rescued nearly 40 unwanted and feral dogs since August when they learned of the poor conditions the dogs were exposed to near the Utah/Arizona border.
Rachel Cook and Morgan Ketterer had recently started a rescue called Utah Animals In Need to help locals with their animals when they learned about one of these dogs.
The two drove to southern Utah in search of the dog, and though they didn't catch him, they returned home with five others. One of the female dogs delivered her puppies just 12 hours after they brought her home.
That first rescue spurred the creation of Project Rez Dog, which aims to rescue dogs on the reservation, to educate the residents living there regarding the animals and to donate supplies such as dog food and flea and tick treatment.
"The feral dogs down there are hanging out at the tourist attractions, gas stations, fast food restaurants," Cook said. "...These dogs are turned out as puppies, unwanted into like general areas where people think they can fend for themselves and sometimes it's out in the middle of the desert."
If they get the funding, they are hoping to bring a spay and neuter van down to fix the locals' dogs and the wild dogs they can't rehabilitate.
Cook and Ketterer recently returned from their second rescue and brought home 33 dogs, including the dog they originally went to rescue the first time, which they said is doing great.
"We're going to bring back as many dogs as we can fit every time with the vehicles that we have available to us," Cook said.
Ronnie Biard, general manager of Goulding's Lodge, the property some of the dogs were found on, said he thinks it would be nice to see the dogs spayed and neutered and it would be terrific if the women could find homes for some of the stray dogs that are there.
Cook said the dogs are fearful when they first catch them because they've either been abused, had negative human interaction or haven't had any human interaction. Only one dog was aggressive but calmed down once he relaxed.
The women are in the process of getting the dogs vetted, spayed and neutered and rehabilitated so they can be adopted. The dogs will live in foster homes until they are adopted, Cook said.
Several organizations are helping with Cook and Ketterer's cause, including Rescue Rovers, the Animal Care Center, For The Love of Paws, Utah Animal Adoption Center, Cause For Paws Utah, South Ogden Animal Services, Tooele Animal Outreach and the Animal Rescue Center of Utah.
To donate to the cause, visit the GoFundMe*, or, to donate through PayPal, enter the email address Utanimalsinneed@yahoo.com.
*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
