Five rescued typhoon dogs at Mat-Su shelter could be available for adoption soon

What you need to know:

• Five dogs rescued from typhoon flooding in western Alaska will be available for adoption in the Mat-Su this week unless claimed by their original owners.
• Ten dogs were transferred to the Mat-Su in October; five remain in the local system awaiting their owners. If unclaimed, they will be transferred to a regional dog rescue organization on Tuesday.
• A total of 218 dogs were rescued during the October evacuation. Most remained in Anchorage, and about 20 were still unclaimed statewide as of Friday.

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PALMER — Five dogs rescued in October from flooding in western Alaska villages will become available for adoption in the Mat-Su on Tuesday unless their owners come forward.

The dogs — three adults and two puppies — will be transferred to a local dog rescue organization if unclaimed, Matanuska-Susitna Borough animal control officials said Friday. Three are currently housed at the borough’s animal shelter near Palmer, and two are staying with foster families.

The dogs came to the Mat-Su as part of a major rescue effort after Typhoon Halong destroyed portions of western Alaska in October. Following the storm, 678 evacuees were airlifted to Anchorage, and the dogs were removed from villages including Kipnuk and Kwigillingok.

In total, state officials and volunteers rescued 218 dogs. While most stayed in Anchorage, 10 were relocated to the Mat-Su, with four eventually transferred back to the Anchorage shelter, shelter manager Caile Tirapelli said.

Now, unless their owners come forward, the remaining unclaimed dogs will be released into the adoption system. Most are what shelter officials described as “typical village dogs” — small Alaska husky, so-called “no-grow” mixes accustomed to spending most of their lives outdoors. All told, only 21 statewide remain unclaimed from the rescue effort as of Friday.

The three unclaimed dogs at the Mat-Su shelter — temporarily named Link, Twyla and Ginger — are doing well, staff said, but are ready for permanent homes if not reclaimed. As of Friday, it was not yet confirmed which Mat-Su adoption group would take them.

Then there’s Ruger. 

Described as “a pain in the butt because he’s huge and ball crazy,” Ruger is a happy, purebred Lab whose owner has claimed him. He remains at the shelter until she secures housing where she can keep him, Tirapelli said.

He’s also a story of survival, she said.

“Ruger had a brother that didn’t make it — he died in the typhoon,” Tirapelli said. “It’s so sad. And the owner was so grateful that he made it here, at least, that one of her dogs made it out.”

Owners can call the Pet Help Hotline at 907-615-8904 or find more information at the Typhoon Halong Dog Rescue website.