Humane society poised to send 'Suitcase 6' to their new homes

Jodi Harding of the Toledo Area Humane Society plays with some of the puppies and their mother, Maddie. The dogs will be adopted to new homes on Tuesday.

The 15 minutes of fame for the "Suitcase 6" is drawing to a close.

By the end of the day on Tuesday, the puppies, who were found zipped inside a black canvas suitcase with their mother tethered next to them, will be in their new homes and their time in the limelight will be over.

The Toledo Area Humane Society received 132 applications for the animals' adoptions, including several from states outside of Ohio. But it was a much whittled-down amount from the more than 1,000 phone inquiries the agency had received about the animals.

"We were expecting it to be higher simply due to the high volume of phone calls and inquiries we had received from people across the country asking how they could adopt one of the puppies," said John Dinon, executive director of the humane society.

Applicants did not have to specify which puppy they were interested in, but were asked if they wanted a puppy, the mother dog, or either, said Cyndi Condit, the group's marketing and special events manager.

Staff members drew the applications and screened them to make sure they were fully filled out and met the standard criteria.

The first individuals will be notified today, Ms. Condit said. They will be asked to come to the shelter on Tuesday between the hours of 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. The first to arrive will get to choose the first puppies.

The adoption fee for the puppies and their mother is $200 each.

"If those individuals are not able to be here on Tuesday, May 22, we will be drawing additional names," she said.

All of the puppies and Maddie, their mother, were spayed or neutered and received an exam, vaccinations, and microchips.

The puppies were also DNA-tested because it is believed the father of the puppies is a possible "pit bull"-type dog, officials said.

Results of the tests indicate the puppies are American Bulldog/Bulldog crosses. Per Toledo Area Humane Society policies, these two breeds are not considered "pit bull"-type dogs (unlike the Lucas County Dog Warden's Office, where they are.)

Officials said they have confirmed Maddie does not get along with other dogs or cats. Therefore, she will need to be the only pet at her new home.

"We are hoping that individuals who chose not to apply for one of these dogs will still visit [the humane society] or their local animal shelter and consider adopting another great dog currently awaiting its forever home," Mr. Dinon said.

Potential adopters of the "Suitcase 6" will be required to complete the adoption process based on the Toledo Area Humane Society's guidelines and policies, including dog-to-dog introductions with resident dogs and landlord checks for applicants who rent their home.

Just because an application has been drawn does not automatically guarantee that the applicant will be approved to adopt one of the dogs.

Howard Davis, 53, of Toledo surrendered the mother and puppies April 23 to the humane society, which has been caring for the dogs since their discovery behind a North Toledo market on April 4.

While in Toledo Municipal Court, he also entered pleas on two criminal charges in the case -- avoiding a trial and possibly avoiding jail time.

When Mr. Davis abandoned the puppies and their mother, the suitcase they were locked in still had a name tag with his name and address attached.

Contact Tanya Irwin at: tirwin@theblade.com, or 419-724-6066.