Local Collie Rescue Group Helps Spring Dogs From Hoarding Situation

TINLEY PARK, IL — A local collie rescue group was on the scene to help last week, when nearly 200 dogs were pulled from a hoarding situation in rural Illinois.

Volunteers from Collie Rescue Of Greater IL drove to Sherrard, Illinois to assist with the rescue of 198 collies found in what has been described as one of the largest animal hoarding cases in the state of Illinois.

Maureen Joyce, a Tinley Park resident and adoption coordinator for the group, could not get into great detail due to the pending status of case against the dogs' owner Karen Plambeck, but Joyce said the dogs were found in "horrid" conditions.

Several dogs were underweight with matted coats in crowded, unsanitary conditions. Some were in such poor condition they had to be euthanized, Joyce said.

Plambeck, 59, is charged with three counts of aggravated animal cruelty, a Class 4 felony, according to Mercer County court records.

The dogs are safe in the care of Mercer County Animal Control, but several are already or expected to be fostered in south suburban towns such as Tinley Park, Frankfort Square, and New Lenox, Joyce told Patch. Donations are currently rolling in for the dogs' care: everything from blankets, to dog food, toys, and more. FurEver Friends of Mercer County is taking monetary donations to help pay for the dogs’ care. For information about donating, go to https://bit.ly/3K09B5z.

The challenge in front of groups like Joyce's will be finding the dogs loving homes with owners who will be understanding of their previous life circumstances. Many lack any basic skills such as crate or potty training.

"We’re going to have a lot of collies to get adopted," Joyce told Patch. "It’s been a busy year for dogs being dumped. Everyone got them during Covid, and now they’re gone all day. It was busy before this, and now the collie rescues are going to be swamped."

Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation established in 1995. They provide shelter and care to purebred collies which have been abandoned or turned in to shelters. The collies are placed in temporary foster homes until a permanent home can be found.

"We get tons of applications," Joyce said, "but not a ton of applications from Illinois. Wisconsin. Missouri, Michigan. But not Illinois."

Joyce was careful not to disclose too much about the condition of the dogs, or where specifically they will be fostered and by whom, in order to maintain the integrity of the case.

Joyce said that while most might connect collies with the dog in "Lassie" movies, not all look or behave like that, which should be taken into consideration when applying to foster or adopt.

"They are not ALL 'Lassie,'" Joyce said. "They’re sheep-herders, young ones will knock down small kids.”

But their positive attributes are many, she added.

"They can be couch potatoes," she said, laughing. "They like to go for walks, like to play, but also like to lay on the couch. They just want to be with their people."

"Once you have one, it’s really hard to not have another one."

The group currently has several other collies available for adoption.