Woman sues to reclaim her dogs after shelter finds new owners for them

By Robert Desaulniers, Chelsea Deffenbacher

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    KLAMATH FALLS, Oregon (KEZI) — A Klamath Falls woman is accusing an Oakridge animal rescue of adopting out her dogs when it was supposed to care for them during a medical procedure.

Luanne Dunning filed the lawsuit in the Lane County Circuit Court on May 3 against Mountain Respite and Mission Rescue Safety Animal Center, Trudy Hammond, and up to 10 more unnamed individuals. In the lawsuit, Dunning said she has had her dogs, Floyd and Trixie, since 2012 and 2016. Both are rescue chihuahua mixes.

According to documents related to the lawsuit, Dunning had to be hospitalized for a medical procedure in January and was unable to take care of her animals. Dunning’s daughter took care of the dogs for a short time. The lawsuit said that when Dunning began her recovery, she found an animal rescue that said it would take care of Floyd and Trixie until she recovered. Dunning alleges that on March 5, Trudy Hammond, who operates the animal rescue, went to Dunning’s home and took them from the house for temporary care.

According to the lawsuit, when Dunning was released from the hospital and called to ask for Floyd and Trixie back, Hammond allegedly told her the dogs were no longer in her care and had been adopted out to third parties. Those third parties are the unnamed individuals in the lawsuit. They were never identified by Hammond to Dunning, and still have custody of the dogs, according to the lawsuit.

Dunning is asking a Lane County Circuit Court judge to declare her the legal owner of Trixie and Floyd and order them to be returned to her possession.

KEZI 9 News tried to get in contact with both Dunning and Hammond, but calls to both were not returned.

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