KALAELOA — Madeline, a Jack Russell terrier, is the first of what animal welfare officials hope will be as many as 200 dogs, cats and other pets to be adopted from an emergency shelter here.

"She's a sweetie," said Pearl City resident Sara Armstrong, who adopted Madeline this week.

The animals were removed Sunday from a Wai'anae Coast property. Homeowner Norman Pang said his late wife, Bonnie, had cared for them, but after she died he called the O'ahu Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to take over their care.

About 200 ducks, chickens, roosters and other birds were taken to the Hawai'i-based nonprofit Wild Bird Rehab Haven.

About 200 other critters — dogs, cats and rabbits — were brought to a makeshift animal shelter at Kalaeloa. The O'ahu SPCA and other organizations are caring for the pets, and want to find people to adopt them or provide foster care until adoptive families can be found.

Managers of the shelter are optimistic after receiving 50 applications so far from interested animal lovers looking to be owners or foster parents.

SHELTER RENTED

The SPCA is renting the shelter from Hunt Development Group for the next few weeks, and animals that aren't adopted or fostered when the lease is up will be taken to other shelters in Hawai'i or to one of the Mainland animal care organizations that flew in personnel to help with the rescue effort, said O'ahu SPCA co-founder Jennifer Kishimori.

People who apply for adoption or foster care go through an interview process to help determine whether they will be good owners and that they're going home with a pet that fits their lifestyle.

SPCA co-founders Kishimori, Stephanie Ryan and Alicia Maluafiti are focused on finding foster parents. Although most of the animals aren't aggressive and don't require owners with professional training, many are nervous around people and need to be socialized, they said.

"You don't need professional training, but you do need time," Maluafiti said. Foster parents, who would care for the pets until they find a permanent home, need to be attentive and caring while looking after animals that are recovering from minor medical care and skittishness, she said.

AILMENTS TREATED

The animals have been under the care of several animal care organizations since Sunday. After bringing the animals to the emergency shelter in Kalaeloa, volunteer veterinarians began treating each animal for ailments, from common fleas to one case of feline AIDS. Animals are still undergoing medical assessments, and all animals at the shelter have been or are planned to be sterilized.

Only three animals have been euthanized due to extreme pain, Ryan said, and shelter managers don't expect to euthanize any others.

Inga Gibson, Hawai'i director of the Humane Society of the United States, said the Sunday operation may have been the largest animal rescue mission in Hawai'i history. She estimated the operation, funded solely by donations, has cost about $100,000 so far in supplies, medical bills, travel and equipment.

The Humane Society of the United States sent reinforcements skilled in handling and transporting animals soon after Pang contacted the SPCA, "as soon as we had an idea of the numbers," said Gibson, whose organization is not affiliated with the Hawai'ian Humane Society.

Ryan said the Pangs were using their property as a nonprofit animal shelter because O'ahu's west side offers none. Bonnie Pang cared for the animals herself and housed them in outdoor kennels or let them roam the property, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

"The word got out that this was grandma's house, and she would take care of them," Ryan said.

Volunteers from various animal welfare groups put a makeshift shelter together at the Kalaeloa site and moved every animal off the property in two days.

Gibson, a foster volunteer herself, said the best thing people can do right now for the animals is volunteer to be a foster caregiver.

"You can help a larger number of animals without making that lifetime commitment," she said.