More than 100 Cheyenne animals that escaped reportedly horrific hoarding conditions this month are now finding new homes as families step in to adopt.
The animals, including dogs, cats, birds and bunnies, were surrendered to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter on October 22nd by their former owner Michael Ohern, who is accused of hoarded the animals in “abhorrent” conditions in his Cheyenne home. Cheyenne Animal Control officer Elizabeth Wagner told Cowboy State Daily she believes Ohern was hoarding the animals to create what he called the “all-American dog breed,” which he characterized as a large dog with a long lifespan.
Laramie County Sheriff’s Office Detective Miles DePrimo wrote in an affidavit of probable cause that alleged hoarder Michael Ohern’s home in 2022 was “severely unsanitary,” with feces piled as high as 2 feet in some areas. Many of the animals there were “covered in feces, dehydrated or in poor health.”
Ohern agreed to surrender the animals in exchange for not being required to pay the roughly $350,000 estimated cost of the animals’ shelter care, Cheyenne Animal Shelter Director Niki Harrison said.
Harrison told Cowboy State Daily Thursday the animals have recovered well from their past and have begun to find loving adoptive families.
“As soon as our leadership team came back from the hearing and let our staff know we would in fact have ownership of all of the animals the following day, it just was like a sense of relief washed over everybody,” she said. “We had been waiting, hoping that that was how things would go in that court case.”
“Everybody could just kind of breathe for a little bit,” she added.
What’s in a Name?
Harrison said in the eight days since gaining custody of the animals, most of them have already found their way into loving new homes. Between baths, grooming and scheduling spay and neuter surgeries, preparing the animals for adoption was a Herculean effort, she said.
That included dealing with rabbit claws.
“Specifically, the rabbits needed some additional medical care and upkeep where we had to trim their teeth back and some of the rabbits had some really overgrown nails,” she said. “With them previously not being in our custody just yet, we had to wait on some of those things that ultimately make them comfortable but make them adoption candidates as well.”
One of the most important steps in preparing pets for adoption is making sure they have a proper name, she said.
Harrison added that the naming process is one of the shelter employees’ favorite tasks.
“A lot of the time those names do stem from personality traits or maybe even where those pets came from in the community,” she said. “Our team definitely takes pride in coming up with unique names once in a while so we don’t have as many ‘Spots’ and ‘Lunas,’ the most generic names in the world.”
One such dog is Boondoggle, who Harrison said earned his name by being a “big, silly goof of a dog.”
“He is one that, anytime he sees a person walking through… he barks with his whole entire body,” Harrison said. “His feet come up off the ground and just so much goofy personality.”
Sugarbear earned her name from being one of the sweetest dogs in the shelter. Another dog, Zero, was adopted by animal shelter board president Clayton Harward-Willmer after becoming known for being easy going and relaxed.
“He has zero cares for anything, he is just easy going, doesn’t really mind much,” Harrison said of Zero.
‘Giant Marshmallow’
Harward-Wilmer said he has already seen Zero’s personality begin to blossom after bringing him home earlier this week. His family was instantly drawn to Zero because he was the only dog who appeared not to care about their visit to the shelter.
“There was, I don't know, 30, 40 people walking through the shelter at this time,” he told Cowboy State Daily via phone. “A lot of the dogs were standing up, getting treats from people, really interactive, and Zero just didn't care. He was flopped over on the floor, snoozing away.”
As a Great Pyrenees breed, Zero is a natural protector, meaning he had already taken a liking to Harward-Wilmer’s young children. After returning for a second meeting, Harward-Wilmer said he knew Zero was the dog for him.
“At that point, you know, we just decided that that giant marshmallow was going to be ours,” he said.
Zero has since made himself at home, where he loves to relax on the family’s giant reclining couch or in the kids’ beds.
“That couch is actually one of the reclining couches,” he said of Zero’s favorite relaxing spot. “It's not a small couch, but he makes it look like it.”
When he is not chilling out, Zero spends his time out in his backyard where he is getting used to using his giant paws.
“He goes out into the yard with my older son and just runs,” Harward-Wilmer said of Zero. “He gets the zoomies out there, and with his giant paws and everything. I'm not totally sure if he knows how to work his paws most of the time, he's kind of a klutz. He'll get the zoomies and then go slamming into to the fence or the tree or something else, and just bounces right off and keeps going.”
Despite his past, Zero has shown no aggression or other personality quirks other than some slight anxiety at times. Zero’s new family is also planning to formally train him, which he had never experienced before.
“He doesn't know sit, down, stay, come,” Harward-Wilmer said. “He doesn't have those, basics, which that's somewhere we're going to teach him. We're going to work on with him. He is a big boy. He's very food motivated.”
Harward-Wilmer said the experience of bringing Zero home has been a rewarding one, especially considering the conditions he came from previously.
“[These dogs] deserve a happy home where they can flop over on the couch and not have to worry about anything, right?” he asked.
Zero is one of more than 100 animals rescued from a hoarder earlier in October, and seems to be having no issues adapting to his new home with the Clayton Harward-Willmer family. (Courtesy Clayton Harward-Willmer) 
Birds from a 100-plus animal hoard are adopted. (Cheyenne Animal Shelter) 
Zero is one of more than 100 animals rescued from a hoarder near Cheyenne. (Cheyenne Animal Shelter) 
Zero is one of more than 100 animals rescued from a hoarder earlier in October, and seems to be having no issues adapting to his new home with the Clayton Harward-Willmer family. (Courtesy Clayton Harward-Willmer)
Empty The Cages
Harrison said seeing the animals exit the shelter is a great feeling, especially because of the challenges associated with making these animals adoptable.
Many of the dogs have behavioral quirks due stemming from their hazardous prior home. Because of this, shelter workers say they are available to provide ongoing support to families as they adjust to their new pets.
“We are letting adopters know ‘you have to be out in the yard with them, they are a flight risk on leaving your yard,’” she said.
Many of the pets are not house trained, meaning many new owners will need to approach caring for their pets like training a new puppy. Despite these challenges, Harrison said it’s rewarding to watch dogs show a new personality when they become comfortable
“We tell people you’ll see a difference at three days, three weeks and three months,” she said. “With these particular pets it really is that much more rewarding.”
“It’s almost magical in a sense, seeing them relax and just getting to be a dog,” she added.
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
