MERCER COUNTY, Ill. — There has been an outpouring of community support for the care of nearly 200 dogs rescued from a property in rural Sherrard.
Mercer County Animal Control has been flooded with donations and volunteers to help the collies get healthy. Officials report that the dogs are doing well.
Those 200 collies are waiting comfortably at the Mercer County shelter.
"A lot of them are getting medications. They're well fed, they're well hydrated. They're just doing great," Nicole Joy, practice manager of All Animal Health Care, said.
The dogs are reportedly in much better condition than when they were rescued from a property in Sherrard on August 12.
"A lot of them are shaved down. I think they're just happy and content right now," Joy said.
Karen Plambeck is charged with three felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. Since the dogs' rescue, the community has stepped up to help.
2019 charges on Plambeck: Sherrard woman charged with animal cruelty
"The donations have been overwhelming. We've had hundreds and hundreds of donations of dog food, we are really well set right now. So if we could halt on the dog food for now, maybe a little more pet bedding would be great," Joy said.
And it's not just local support: volunteers have offered to help nationwide.
"The collie rescues have been absolutely amazing. We have rescues here from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, all over, and any more that have reached out. The nice thing about those rescues is they know about that breed of animal, they know all about collies. They've taught me so much," Joy said.
Shelter officials say their biggest need right now is monetary donations to continue to fund the ongoing rescue.
"They're well cared for. We just can't thank the community enough for everything they've done to help us through this process. It's just unbelievable and very overwhelming how much they've helped us," Joy said.
Animal Control is still working on setting up online donations. In the meantime, the Mercer County Sheriff's Department is accepting donations on their behalf. The Sheriff's department is located at 906 SW 3rd St. in Aledo.
Officials at Purina's Davenport factory say they've donated 6 pallets of dog food to the Mercer County Shelter this week, valued at about $3,000.