Two male chihuahuas that sparked community concern after a viral video showed the dogs’ owner abusing them at a laundromat in Morton in November are now in the care of Onalaska Farm Sanctuary and are set to go up for adoption in the next few weeks.
“The boys are doing absolutely great,” an Onalaska Farm Sanctuary representative told The Chronicle on Thursday.
The dogs, affectionately called the “laundromat chihuahuas,” are scheduled to be neutered on Feb. 10 “and then they will be looking for a forever home together,” the Onalaska Farm Sanctuary representative said.
The dogs’ owner, identified in police records as Tina Luise Vanham, 51, was charged Dec. 5 in Napavine Municipal Court — which contracts with Morton — with one count each of second-degree animal cruelty and fourth-degree assault, domestic violence, after a Morton Police Department officer responded to the reported animal abuse on Nov. 21.
Multiple witnesses in the laundromat, located in the 100 block of Third Street in Morton, reported seeing a woman, who was later identified as Vanham, enter the laundromat with a walker and two small dogs following her at about 3:40 p.m. on Nov. 21.
“She was yelling at them, and they just cowered down not wanting to go to her,” one witness wrote in a statement to the Morton Police Department. “She walked over and grabbed their leashes, which (were) wrapped around a trash can, and just yanked them out from under the table and drug both of them,” the witness wrote.
At one point, Vanham allegedly “yanked on the leash hard enough to send one dog flying, almost smashing the dog into one of the washers,” another witness wrote.
Witnesses video recorded the incident and called the Morton Police Department.
“Once the lady realized the cops were called, she aggressively pulled on their leashes and tried to leave, but was stopped by those inside,” a witness wrote.
One of the witnesses alleged that Vanham “bit her left hand in an altercation,” according to the police report. While an injury was not visible on the victim’s hand, other witnesses corroborated the victim’s report.
In her own written statement to the Morton Police Department about the incident, Vanham said her two dogs were “hooked together on one leash” and “tangled up my walker going indoors and I almost fell on the floor myself.” She stated that one of the dogs “tangled (him)self around the table and I had to pull the leash,” adding that she had to continue pulling the dogs to untangle them as she put her laundry in the dryer and got herself to the bathroom.
When contacted by an officer at the laundromat, Vanham allegedly “denied the incident and began yelling at me, at which time I asked her to calm down and asked for her identification,” according to court documents.
She reportedly “continued to yell and asked for the video proof,” according to court documents.
While the officer was running Vanham’s identification through central dispatch in his patrol vehicle, he saw “several women running towards the door and they were confronting Vanham who was trying to come outside the laundromat,” according to court documents.
The parties were all separated and given statement forms to fill out while officers completed further investigation and “made several attempts to contact a place for the dogs to go to, to include the shelter. Nothing was available,” an officer stated in his report.
While witnesses at the scene and the Onalaska Farm Sanctuary offered to take the dogs, none of them were qualified as legal placements for the dogs at the time of the incident.
Ultimately, the two chihuahuas were returned to Vanham’s care and Vanham was advised that the Morton Police Department was referring charges against her, according to police reports.
Vanham was issued a summons notice for a Jan. 2 preliminary hearing in Napavine Municipal Court, which she was not present for, prompting the court to issue a $10,000 bench warrant, according to court documents.
Morton Police Department officers arrested Vanham on that warrant at approximately 1:05 p.m. on Jan. 23, according to a police report.
When advised she was under arrest, Vanham allegedly “tried to walk away and go back into her RV,” at which point the officer “grabbed her arm and struggled with her resisting while trying to arrest her,” according to the police report. The officer was ultimately able to handcuff her and place her into a patrol vehicle.
Vanham has since been released from custody. Her next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 20.
At the time of Vanham’s arrest, the Morton Police Department was able to impound the dogs for municipal code violations, including the dogs not being licensed as required by the City of Morton and the dogs being allowed to run at large within city limits, according to police reports.
Once the dogs were impounded, the Morton Police Department was able to place the dogs with the Onalaska Farm Sanctuary as a foster placement.
“The pups were put in a three day stray hold, during which time the owner could still apply to get the dogs back,” the Onalaska Farm Sanctuary said in a Facebook post on Friday. “She did not apply for them. The dogs became the legal property of Morton PD. Who then, kindly, surrendered them to OFS.”
Since their surrender, the dogs have been evaluated by a veterinarian and found to be “in great health,” an Onalaska Farm Sanctuary representative said Thursday.
“They just have some emotional trauma to work out (for example, the cower (if) they are leashed). But they are both potty pad trained and quiet and well mannered.”
While Onalaska Farm Sanctuary lamented how long it took for the dogs to get to them, an organization representative said, “We are so excited they were finally removed from the situation. They are thriving here.”
The Onalaska Farm Sanctuary, owned by Jessica and Kyle York, is a nonprofit animal rescue and sanctuary for abused and neglected farm animals, including cows, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits and chickens.
“OFS does not, typically, work with dogs but we are making an exception for these two,” the Onalaska Farm Sanctuary said of the laundromat chihuahuas in a Facebook post on Jan. 23.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/OnalaskaFarmSanctuarylewiscounty/.
