:To report missing or stray animals, contact the Jackson County Humane Society 618-457-2362.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is trying to determine whether the missing animals ran away after being let out of their cages or if they were stolen. Police said the shelter’s front window was smashed in, and the front door left ajar so the animals could escape the building.

Sherry Mullins, assistant manager at the humane society, said there has never been a break-in during the more than nine years she has worked there. Because the facility euthanizes animals, she said they have been called “Nazis” and “murderers” in the past, but there was no warning before the burglary.

“We anger a lot of people every day, but we didn’t anger anybody yesterday that we know of,” she said.

Mullins said 10 dogs in the adoption program, two stray dogs, six to eight puppies and 30 cats were let out of their cages.

Mullins said 80 to 90 percent of the animals at the humane society are euthanized because of space constraints, but 10 of the dogs that remain missing would not have been killed because the animals in the adoption program are exempt from euthanasia.

She said she had not found any sign of the 12 missing dogs, something she thought was unusual because of the number of animals.

Mullins said all the cats were accounted for, and only one was found outside, and all the puppies were back in their cages. She said the only casualty was a rabbit that had been at the humane society for two years. She said it was found dead outside and appeared to have been attacked by a dog or another animal.

She said there were 67 animals at the facility before the break-in and about 5,000 come through the humane society each year. She said the number of animals the facility deals with has been decreasing in recent years because of more no-kill shelters opening in the area.

Brandon Augsburg can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 262 or [email protected].