Two things today, coming off of what was a chilly, wet Alaska weekend.
First, the news from the Great Land isn’t always good. In this case, it’s saddening and angering, especially if you’re a dog person.
A Mat-Su woman whose 25 dogs were found dead on a Mat-Su property earlier this month was arrested Tuesday and charged with animal cruelty, authorities say.
The Alaska State Troopers said 35-year-old Willow resident Misty Rehder was taken into custody Tuesday and charged with 26 counts of animal cruelty. She was taken to Mat-Su Pretrial “without incident.”
Rehder was the central figure in the investigation by troopers and Mat-Su Borough Animal Control on a private property in the Caswell Lakes area, located between Talkeetna and Willow.
This was known to be ongoing for some time; in fact, when I was up for my usual Saturday food and drink at the lodge, this was the topic of some discussion among the people seated at the bar.
Concerns for the dogs’ wellbeing were voiced by nearby residents going as far back as January, according to people interviewed by Alaska’s News Source.
The people who called authorities asking to check on the animals said they were told to not get involved with the situation as animal control and troopers continued their investigation.
That led to complaints from the community that investigators were not doing enough to help the dogs.
This case kind of hit close to home; one of the nearby residents who was complaining about this is a dear friend of ours, and we had heard her concerns about this before.
Here’s the thing: Regardless of what penalty Misty Rehder faces, she faces a less formal penalty as well. Bad gas travels fast in a small community, and they don’t get much smaller than Willow, which isn’t a town or a village but a “designated census area.” This person will find herself immediately on bad terms with everyone else in the area and will likely have to move. And that’s fine. There’s a place for ostracism in our social interactions, and this is one of those places. And I can tell you, Willowbillies have long memories.
Alaska Man score: Nil. We don’t have a dog ourselves at the moment, but as with most civilized people, there’s a special place in our hearts for Man’s Best Friend.
Read More: Alaska Man Monday: Olympics, and a Happy Ending for Some Neglected Animals
Now, we haven’t had a really good dumb crook for a while, but here’s a good one:
On April 17, 2026, at approximately 2143 hours, the Alaska State Troopers conducted a traffic stop on the Sterling Highway. A passenger identified herself by name and date of birth as that of a deceased woman. On her second attempt, she provided another false identity. Finally, on her third effort at revealing her true self, she gave her real name, Katherine Booth. Katherine was ultimately arrested for an outstanding No Bail warrant for Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance 4, two counts of False Info, a Petition to Revoke Probation, and a parole violation.
OK, it’s bad enough to give the name of a dead person. But to double down, essentially saying, “Oh, yeah, here’s another fake name,” before finally admitting she was who she really was.
Jon Lovitz was not available for comment.
Alaska Man score: 1 moose nugget, for giving us a chuckle.
Read More: Alaska Man Monday: Dumb Crooks and Dumb Ideas
Now, did you know there were castles in Alaska?
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