The man accused of 173 counts of inhumane treatment of an animal is scheduled to be in a Turner County Courtroom Wednesday.  Dan Christensen of Hurley had dogs taken from his Hurley business in September, and those dogs have been in the hands of the Second Chance Rescue Center ever since.

The 172 dogs taken from Christensen in early September were then moved to a temporary shelter on the Turner County Fairgrounds. However, because of contractual obligations, the dogs were removed from the fairgrounds and sent to Sioux Falls at the end of September. And now, many of those dogs have found another temporary home.

The dogs have a story to tell. They packed up and moved a few times in the last two months, and some have been even busier.

"It's just been nuts. Litter after litter after litter. It's just crazy how many dogs were pregnant, it was astounding," Rosey Quinn of the Second Chance Rescue Center said.

And there are still more dogs expecting to welcome puppies at any time now. However, many of those already born have been moved with their mom to foster homes.

About 60 of the dogs still call the Expo Building on the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds their home. Staff from the Second Chance Rescue Center come through twice each day to feed and water the dogs.

However, the fate of the dogs will be determined in court. Dan Christenson, the man accused of inhumanely treating the dogs, will be arraigned on Wednesday.

"Our hope is always to gain custody of the animals, but until we go through court, you never know. So until then, whenever that will be, we'll just continue to take the best care of them that we can," Quinn said.

But that care comes with a cost. Although Second Chance has received food and bedding donations, they're still having to take many of the dogs and puppies to a vet. That mounting tab will likely be billed to Christensen, no matter the outcome in court.

"There is a state statute that says the owner of any impounded animal is responsible for the board and staff and so either way, I believe he would have to pay the board on these animals before he gets them back,” Quinn said.

The dogs are off limits for visitations from the public; however, if you'd like to contribute, Quinn says they could still use donations of puppy chow and straw for bedding. They're also looking for more families to take some dogs and puppies into temporary care.