The call came to the Lamoille County Sheriff's Office in northern Vermont: a barn, a lot of dogs, and conditions that needed immediate attention.
What deputies found when they arrived was worse than a description could prepare you for. Nearly **60 Siberian Huskies** — including puppies — were living in a farm building that had stopped being fit for them. Many were tethered with chains. Others were in kennels so saturated with urine that the ammonia smell hit investigators before they reached the door. There was no food visible on the property. No water.
The dogs were thin. Some were dehydrated. All of them had been living like this for too long.
On **March 11, 2026**, the ASPCA responded to the sheriff's request for assistance and helped remove all the animals from the property.
**The Rescue**
The ASPCA's response to cases like this is a practised operation. Criminal investigators, forensic veterinarians, and behavioural specialists work alongside law enforcement to document conditions, assess animals, and safely remove them in ways that preserve both welfare and legal integrity.
Each dog was examined on-site and then transported to an ASPCA recovery facility, where the more detailed work began: forensic veterinary examinations to document injuries and health status, behavioural assessments to understand each dog's temperament and needs, and medical treatment for those who needed it most.
Teresa Ladner, the ASPCA's Vice President of Criminal Practice & Investigations, was clear about what the rescue meant: *"Immediate intervention was crucial given the extremely poor conditions the animals endured."*
Lamoille County Sheriff Roger Marcoux praised his deputies and expressed gratitude for the ASPCA's expertise. The investigation remains active, with **animal cruelty charges pending** based on evidence collected at the property.
**Siberian Huskies Are Not Easy Dogs**
Siberian Huskies are beautiful, highly intelligent, and demanding. They were bred by the Chukchi people of Siberia as working sled dogs capable of covering vast distances in brutal conditions — bred for endurance, bred for cold, bred for movement. They thrive with exercise, stimulation, and companionship.
Tethered to a chain in a urine-soaked barn, with no food and no water, is about as far from those conditions as it is possible to get.
The fact that nearly 60 of them endured this — that puppies were among them — makes the rescue not just an act of law enforcement, but an act of recognition: that these were animals with needs that were not being met, and that someone had to come.
Someone did.
**What Happens Now**
All 60 dogs are now under ASPCA care. They are being evaluated individually, treated medically, and assessed behaviourally. The process of determining which dogs are ready for adoption and matching them to suitable homes is a careful one — particularly for a breed as specific in its needs as the Husky.
But they are out of the barn. They have food. They have water. They have people who are paying attention to them.
For now, that is the thing that matters most. 🐾
*Sources: ASPCA (aspca.org, March 11, 2026) · PR Newswire · Lamoille County Sheriff's Office*
