UPDATE: 1 p.m. Larceny charges filed against animal sanctuary workers in dognapping case

High-pitched yelps and plenty of canine kisses greeted Natalie Owings on Monday as she was reunited with nearly a dozen dogs taken from her into protective custody by Santa Fe County animal-control officers.

The founder and director of the Heart and Soul Animal Sanctuary in Glorieta said Monday, "Everyone is happy tonight," after she was reunited with Ruffy, Daisy, Alice, Hyper, Perry, Greta, Gracie, Yuri, Joey, Yum Yum and Sarah, after spending four days apart.

The dogs, and three others who were returned to her Friday, were confiscated Thursday outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department when the animals were found in a large truck with a camper shell Owings drives. Animal-control officers have reported the temperature inside Owings' truck was 111 degrees and one dog, who was lethargic, had a temperature of 107 degrees. Normal temperatures for dogs are about 101 to 102 degrees, according to the American Kennel Club.

Owings maintains the dogs had plenty of ventilation and water and she would have parked under a shade tree if there were any at the site. She said she was unnecessarily detained at the Sheriff's Office while explaining why a sanctuary employee had taken a 2-year-old Yorkshire terrier from outside the Bureau of Land Management offices Sept. 28.

Owings said she received tip that the dog was being abused.

By the time she realized the tip was bogus, the dog had been adopted by a family in Denver. The employee arranged to return the Yorkie to her owner.

"We don't steal animals," Owings said outside the shelter's receiving and holding facility Monday. "We rescue animals."

Sheriff Greg Solano, meanwhile, maintains he intends to file larceny charges against Owings and the man who was seen on video surveillance provided by BLM taking the dog, named Crazy, as well as 14 counts of animal neglect for the dogs found in her truck Thursday.

He also strongly denies allegations Owings was detained by his officers and has grown frustrated with suggestions he and his department are unfairly persecuting Owings.

"We didn't even know she was coming to our office," Solano said. "She came to us voluntarily and asked to talk with me. Because the (larceny) case was still very early in the investigation, I said she should talk with the detective assigned the case, because I try to never get in the way of my detectives doing their job. She agreed to talk to them."

Solano said while Owings was voluntarily talking to detectives, and could have left at any time, a television news reporter working on a follow-up to the larceny case asked him if he knew there was a truck in the parking lot with what the reporter estimated as about 18 dogs.

"I called animal control to check it out and they did," Solano said.

The sheriff also said Owings and many of her supporters called him and several county commissioners over the weekend, repeatedly demanding charges not be filed and that the dogs be returned to her immediately.

"If I am supposed to treat this case as I would any other case, how can I in good conscience drop the charges? What message does that send?" Solano asked. "I still think she does a lot of good things at the sanctuary and know she has a lot of very passionate and emotional supporters, but I think a lot of these same people (who are) mad that we're charging her would be just as mad if this were a call about anyone else and we didn't proceed as we are."

Owings said the theft allegation is the first that she's encountered in the 30 years she's worked in animal rescue. All the dogs held at the facility, along with the sanctuary's other residents, were scanned for microchips containing identifying information. No chips were found.

Solano's office has received more than 30 calls since Friday morning from county residents who have lost dogs in the past, interested to see if any of the animals at the sanctuary belong to them. Animal control has not asked the sanctuary to stop finding homes for animals, but has asked Owings to keep documentation of who adopts the animals in light of the recent theft case.

"We helped them check the animals," Owings said. "We knew they wouldn't have chips; all of these dogs come from desperate situations and many have been with us for years and years. They are sanctuary residents."

The theft charges are distressing, Owings said, but she said her attorney is working on the case. She no longer will respond to anonymous tips.

She also said there has been a silver lining to all the attention the case has brought about.

"I never knew I had so many friends," Owing said. "It's been wonderful to hear from so many friends of the sanctuary and I think we will be even stronger because of it."

As for the dogs confiscated Thursday, Owings told police she was taking them to the vet to be vaccinated. Solano said that information could not be confirmed.

"There are some things about all this that just aren't checking out," Solano said. "We're looking into everything we can, but it's hard to hear so many people criticizing our officers and animal-control officers when they're just doing their job."

In addition to the 11 animals Owings picked up on Monday, she also took with her two Chihuahuas from the shelter. The two dogs, one elderly, have been overlooked at the crowded shelter and will get special treatment at the sanctuary, said Kelly Tribelhorn, the shelter's medical services manager.

"We'll find good homes for these two," Owings said.

Later Monday, the shelter also took 14 puppies to the sanctuary, said Paul Vigil, a sanctuary worker.

Ben Swan, a contributor to The New Mexican and an employee at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter, provided some of the reporting for this story.

Contact Geoff Grammer at 986-3076 or ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com. Read his blog at SantaFeCrime.com.