In April, more than twenty sled dogs were found starved to death at a tourist kennel in Caswell Lakes, north of Willow. A concerned neighbor found the dead dogs. One emaciated dog was found alive and has since been adopted out.
The kennel owner has been arrested. She is at Hiland Correctional Center awaiting trial. She was charged with twenty-six felony counts of animal cruelty. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $5000 fine under state law. A hearing is scheduled for June 1. The trial is scheduled for July.
Neighbors had been calling the Borough Animal Control for months warning that no one was taking care of the dogs. They felt their concerns were ignored. Several callers were mushers.
The Borough Animal Control Enforcement Team is made up of the Chief of Animal Care, one Animal Care Dispatcher, and four Animal Care Officers. A Borough Animal Control Officer walked the property with a concerned resident in January. He told the resident to stop bringing food and bedding to the dogs.
The Borough launched internal and external investigations about Borough actions leading up to the deaths. Former Assistant District Attorney Richard Payne is the independent party conducting the external investigation. He will review the actions of Animal Control Officer Joe Dickenson. He will also examine Borough protocols for following up on animal care complaints. The internal and external reports are expected to be released in mid-June.
The Borough Animal Care and Regulation Board has four members and an alternate. They act in an advisory capacity on matters of animal care and regulation. They have not met in 2026 according to the Borough website.
The Borough Assembly approved a temporary advisory board to review the independent investigation report, internal investigation report, along with Borough regulation and enforcement policies.
The temporary Board for Advisory Review of Kennel Standards, or BARKS, will consist of five members and a non-voting Assembly member.
Prospective board members must submit applications to Borough Mayor Edna DeVries. Preference will be given to mushers and kennel owners. The recommendations of the advisory board are expected by mid-December.
Information on applying for the BARKS board can be found at matsu.gov/boards.
This article sourced information from the Mat-Su Borough, Alaska Public Media, Alaska News Source, the Mat-Su Sentinel, and Anchorage Daily News.
Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.
Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.
Please support Page 2 News. Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org.
This Page Two article was reported by Kendra Zamzow and produced by yours truly, Lee Henrikson. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.
That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Wednesday May 27, 2026.