A 51-year-old Lents woman has been arraigned on animal-neglect charges after investigators seized 13 dogs and two cats from her residence, capping months of complaints from concerned neighbors. Susan Long faced the charges following a warrant executed at her Portland home, according to officials, with the animals now safely housed at local shelters while her case moves through the courts.
According to the Multnomah County District Attorney, Long had been arraigned on charges of animal neglect. The office reported that 13 dogs and two cats were seized from a residence in the Lents neighborhood, and that the warrant leading to the rescue was executed on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. All of the animals removed from the property are safely housed within Multnomah County Animal Services and the Oregon Humane Society, per the same release.
Portland Police also weighed in on the case, describing it in a release as a severely neglected dog investigation that led to a felony indictment and arrest, according to Portland Police
. The bureau, which posts under the handle @PortlandPolice and describes itself as “sworn to protect. dedicated to serve,” directs emergency callers to 911 and non-emergency callers to 503-823-3333.
Months of Complaints Preceded the Seizure
The case did not emerge overnight. Multnomah County Animal Services received a number of calls regarding Long's home in the months before the warrant was carried out, the district attorney's office said. That pattern of repeated complaints ultimately triggered a coordinated response from multiple agencies working the case together.
The investigation involved the Portland Police Bureau's East Precinct Neighborhood Response Team working closely with Multnomah County Animal Services and the Oregon Humane Society, according to the same district attorney's account. That kind of multi-agency approach reflects how animal-cruelty cases are typically handled in Oregon, where the Oregon Humane Society's Humane Special Agents are highly-trained, sworn police officers with authority to investigate allegations of animal cruelty crimes within the state, per the Oregon Humane Society. Those agents are authorized to issue criminal citations, author search warrants, and assist other law enforcement agencies in investigation, crime scene processing and evidence collection, the organization notes.
Presumption of Innocence and Pending Case
The district attorney's office was careful to note that Long has only been charged with a crime at this time and is innocent unless and until proven guilty. While the case remains pending, Long was prohibited from possessing animals, according to the same release.
Oregon law draws a distinction between neglect and more severe abuse. Under Oregon Revised Statutes § 167.320, a person commits animal abuse in the first degree if they intentionally, knowingly or recklessly cause serious physical injury to an animal or cruelly cause its death, per an Oregon Revised Statutes mirror. The dossier does not specify how Long's specific charges relate to that statute, and details such as her attorney, plea, and next court date have not been made public.
Most Neglect Cases Resolved Through Education, Not Charges
Cases involving this many animals in one household are not unheard of in Oregon, though most reports the Oregon Humane Society investigates don't end in criminal charges. Most cases investigated by humane special agents involve unintentional neglect and can be resolved by educating owners about proper care of animals, the organization says. A separate Oregon Humane Society adoption page also noted that a suspected neglect case involving 53 dogs from a property in La Pine similarly required transferring many animals for adoption, illustrating how quickly large-scale neglect cases can strain local shelter capacity.
It remains unclear how many, if any, of the 13 dogs and two cats from the Lents property have since been placed in permanent homes. The dossier does not identify the condition of each seized animal or confirm whether all of them survived the ordeal, and no additional details about Long's case have been released beyond her arraignment and the animal-possession restriction.
