Animal shelter, Anoka Co. Sheriff at odds over alleged animal cruelty case

ANOKA CO., Minn. (FOX 9) - Posts going around social media show the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office and an emergency shelter at odds over an alleged animal cruelty case.

Controversy timeline

The backstory:

The owner of Gratitude Farms took the dogs in after investigators found them inside a home not being taken care of, and in terrible condition.

"The lady called that owned the dogs, and she surrendered them to me, so I was able to get her to surrender them," said Tammy Gimpl, who works with animal control for Linwood Township.

What we know:

Gimpl believes the dogs should be in her care, while the sheriff’s office wants her to hand them over to the Animal Humane Society as part of their investigation into the alleged abuse, saying so they can undergo forensic tests.

Gimpl is afraid the dogs will be euthanized. 

"I don't mind the forensic exam. I think it's late, but that's fine," said Gimpl.

Search warrant

Dig deeper:

When investigators from the Akona County Sheriff’s Office stepped in, they asked her for the dogs. 

That’s when she tells FOX 9 that she refused.

"He called back and told me I had to surrender them to the Humane Society for a forensic exam. We had words, and it got heated, because I knew the humane society was going to put them down," said Gimpl.

"The emergency shelter does not have lawful custody of the dogs by statute, this sheriff's office has lawful custody of the dogs because it's a judicial proceeding," said Anoka County Sheriff Brad Wise.

Wise tells FOX 9 that because Gimpl refused to hand the dogs over, they did a search warrant at her shelter.

"She's obstructing an investigation that we need to do," said Wise. 

Gimpl says the dogs weren’t at her shelter at the time, and she doesn’t know where they are. 

"The person that picked them up was a rescuer," said Gimpl.

What's next:

Wise says they’re looking for the dogs and are trying to get them checked out to bring the case to court. 

Meanwhile, Gimpl says she will keep fighting to keep the dogs alive.