Innocent Kisses, left, and I Wanna Kiss are just two of 75 dogs rescued from a Powell Butte couple’s home. These two, along with several others from the same home, are being cared for at the Humane Society of the Ochocos in Prineville.

PRINEVILLE — The staff at the Humane Society of the Ochocos is used to the constant sound of barking dogs. But this fall, the noise coming from the dog kennels has been louder than usual.

In late August, the shelter began working with the Crook County Sheriff’s Office on its biggest rescue effort in recent history: the removal of approximately 75 dogs from an acreage owned by an elderly Powell Butte couple. The dogs, all cattle breed mixtures of Australian kelpie, Australian shepherd and border collie, are healthy, but have had little experience interacting with people. As a result, the shelter staff is working overtime at facilities in Prineville and Redmond to rehabilitate the dogs and find them homes — a process that is taking much longer than they’d expected.

“Initially, we had pie-in-the-sky ideas that it would take a couple of months to get them moved out and another month or two to get them socialized and find the right home,” said shelter manager Lori Durant. “Now we’re not sure. But we want to get the word out there that if people have the time and the patience, these dogs can be great pets.”

Durant said that before the rescue effort, none of the dogs had been spayed or neutered, which led to the out-of-control population growth. She said the couple had tried to care for the dogs — and knew the names and personalities of each dog — but simply could not afford to feed and care for them properly.

This summer, they turned to local authorities for help, said Brandon Smith, a commander with the sheriff’s office.

“It really was a sad situation. This guy cared dearly for his animals but couldn’t take care of them,” he said. “This was an elderly couple on a fixed income and they were literally feeding the dogs before feeding themselves.”

State law does not prohibit keeping large numbers of dogs, as long as they are well cared for, said Crook County Chief Deputy District Attorney Andy Eglitis. The county did not file any charges against the owners.

Because space in the Prineville shelter is limited, Crook County officials contacted the city of Redmond about using an abandoned shelter facility there to house and train the dogs.

Now, the dogs are moved to Redmond after they’ve been removed from the Powell Butte acreage and put through a few weeks of training with volunteers and shelter staff, Durant said.

So far, 45 dogs have been rescued. She said the last 30 will have to wait until more dogs are adopted and space becomes available at the shelters.

“The amount of time we have to devote to them depends on each dog,” Durant said. “We’re working on leash training, building that bond with people, and each one has a different personality.”

Ten dogs have already found homes and 12 more have been moved to the Prineville shelter and are ready to be adopted. Durant said the medium-sized dogs are intelligent, loyal and happiest when they’re able to be active.

“They’re a herding breed, and that’s how they act,” she said. “They like to be at your heels, like to follow you around. They’re quick learners and they need to have a bit of a job to do.”

In addition to people looking to adopt a pet for good, the shelter is always looking for families willing to foster a dog for a few weeks to help with the rehabilitation process. Durant said donations in the form of dog food, blankets and money are also particularly valuable with the increased strain the rescued dogs have put on the shelter’s resources. Adopting a dog costs between $75 and $125.

Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office is continuing to help in the lengthy rescue effort, Smith said.

“We’re trying to stay real positive,” he said. “The bottom line here is the problem took more than overnight to create, and it’s going to take more than overnight to fix. The humane society is doing a great job working with the dogs so they can be placed into homes … a lot of those dogs are really nice and they would make a really nice pet for somebody.”