KALISPELL - The director of the Flathead County Animal Shelter says there's been a "phenomenal" response from people eager to help with 41 huskies rescued from filthy conditions late last month.

"I'd say we've gotten dozens of phone calls and e-mails combined" from people wanting to adopt, donate or volunteer help in caring for the dogs, shelter director Kirsten Holland said.

"Donations are coming in. People have been donating kennels," Holland said. "We've had people drop off food, toys and chewies."

Holland told the Daily Inter Lake newspaper that the kennel is eager to hear from people interested in adopting the dogs but said they'll have to be patient because the dogs cannot be adopted until they are released by court order.

Juanita McGranor, 66, was arrested June 25 on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, after county animal wardens and deputies found 25 dogs in a feces-coated trailer and her mobile home in Evergreen.

McGranor was released on house arrest the next day, and consented to having the dogs spayed and neutered. Those procedures took place over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

In the two days after the dogs were rescued, two females each had litters of eight puppies, bringing the total number of dogs to 41.

Holland said the dogs will be housed at the county shelter south of Kalispell and at the Humane Society of Northwest Montana shelter north of Kalispell.

The county shelter had to improvise a temporary kennel system in an enclosed, outdoors yard to accommodate the dogs, Holland said.

So far, the dogs have been eating donated food, but they will be switched to the shelter's Science Diet food. The shelter gets its food at no cost, other than shipping, through a Science Diet national shelter nutrition partnership program.

The goal is to eventually place all of the dogs with suitable new homes.