Adoption lost animal

　　BARSTOW • Dozens of dogs and cats seized from a Hinkley compound earlier this month will be available for adoption Friday at county animal shelters after their owners failed to claim them.
On Oct. 5, animal control officers seized more than 70 dogs and 30 cats from the Stovall residence in Hinkley on Highway 58 after issuing several notices that the animals needed better care.
Terrance Stovall, Chris Gardner and William Stovall were arrested in June after San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies said the dogs were chained and lacked food, water, and shelter. The Stovall family had been caring for the dozens of animals on their property on Highway 58 after their father died in 2010.
According to officials, the dogs were seized because the family was not providing proper care to the animals — in part because the family was being evicted from their home due to foreclosure.

　　Animal control officials held the dogs and cats for a 14-day period to allow the owners to claim them, but according to Brian Cronin, chief of San Bernardino County Animal Care and Control, the Stovalls have not tried to claim any of their animals. The dogs will be up for adoption at five different county shelters on Friday — including Barstow Humane Society, Dog’s Day Inn in Apple Valley, Devore Animal Shelter, Palms N Paws Animal Shelter in Twentynine Palms, and Yucca Valley Animal Shelter.
Cronin said the animals were distributed to multiple shelters so that no shelter would be overwhelmed. He said the county does not have any “no-kill” municipal shelters for several reasons, including the large size of San Bernardino County and the fact that “no-kill” shelters are often overrun.
The shelters are not allowed to euthanize the animals until after Saturday to allow people time to adopt them, said Cronin. Cronin said each shelter has its own policy for euthanizing animals, but the animals are more likely to be euthanized if they display aggressive behavior or have medical problems.
Cronin said one dog was euthanized after the animals were seized, but did not know if any of the shelters have had to euthanize more animals or how many dogs were thought to have medical or temperament problems.
Jeanette Hayhurst, executive director for the Barstow Humane Society, said none of the 18 Stovall dogs at the shelter have been euthanized so far. Her goal is not to euthanize any of the dogs, but some have shown some aggressive behavior or other temperament problems and may not be adoptable.
“Most of these dogs are just scared and unsocialized,” said Hayhurst, who said that some of the dogs may turn around if someone has the time and resources to work with them.
Hayhurst said that she has already had one rescue group contact her about the dogs and is also seeking local residents to come adopt shelter animals. Even if people don’t adopt a dog that was taken from the Stovall property, she said any animal adopted from the shelter leaves more room for others.
The Barstow Humane Society on Thursday morning had 104 dogs and 30 cats at the shelter — with many available for adoption immediately.
Stovall family members could not be reached for comment Thursday.