Dolly of Dolly’s Fund

Dolly Before & After

In 2010, a dachshund named Dolly arrived at Multnomah County Animal Services in horrific condition—suffering from severe neglect, including advanced mange.

If Dolly arrived today, she would be deemed “beyond help” and killed.

Instead, MCAS staff and veterinarians once did what the public expects: they treated her. Despite her condition, they provided the medical care she needed until she fully recovered. Dolly was adopted and went on to live a healthy, full life.

In her honor, MCAS established “Dolly’s Fund”—a donation-based account created by compassionate citizens to pay for emergency veterinary care and specialized treatment for animals like her.

Since then, Dolly’s Fund has grown to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

And yet—those funds are not being used.

Audits by the County Auditor in 2018 and 2023 found massive unspent balances, poor oversight, and mismanagement. A follow-up report in 2024 revealed that MCAS was improperly shifting costs to cover unrelated expenses.

The failure continues today. As of January 2026, Dolly’s Fund sits at $703,703.

While the money sits untouched, animals like Dolly are being denied care—and dying.

This is not a lack of resources. It is a failure of leadership.

Multnomah County Commissioners have allowed a fund created to save lives to sit idle, while treatable animals are written off and killed.

Dolly was saved because someone chose to act.

Today, those in power are choosing not to.