Puppy Mill Rescue

11/9/09: As many of you know by now, HART took in 37 dogs and puppies last evening from the puppy mill rescue in the mid-west.

Many of them, particularly the adults, were in very bad condition from years of horrific neglect. One of the four English Bulldogs, who we named Huggy, is emaciated and ill. Huggy is currently under the care of one of our veterinarians. A Schnauzer puppy, who we are calling Kiera, has pnemonia and other complications and is on oxygen at one of the area emergency/specialty clinics.

Today Channel 4 and Fox news told us they were interested in helping HART get the word out about the dogs and puppies we rescued as well as the awful conditions of puppy mills. Both news organizations came to Caring Hands Animal Hospital this afternoon while some of these dogs were undergoing exams. FOX 5 aired this story on the 10 PM news.

Thank you to Bark N Bubbles, who came down to wash the dogs.

We will soon be sending out more detailed information about the other dogs and puppies and will update you on Huggy and Kiera's condition as we know more.


Update 11/10/09: Link to FOX News Story!    Link to more photos!    See more photos below!


Update 11/11/09: Hi everyone,

Good news:
Kiera the schnauzer is off oxygen and was able to go home to her foster home.

Huggy, the very shy bulldog came through her surgery yesterday and is recovering. She had an infected uterus probably from having been bred so much and the "people" taking her puppies away too soon after delivery.

Arrival of the dogs and puppies on Sunday night:
Many of these dogs will have a long road ahead of them. Some have serious medical issues and many of the adults are scared and traumatized. On Sunday night we saw dogs that would not walk, probably because it was rare, if at all, that they were ever taken out of their cages. And we held and comforted dogs that seemed to have not known a kind touch. The breeding dogs are about 5 to 7 years old and many of them probably lived their lives in the squalor of these puppy mills.

The Soft Coated Wheaten (so dirty she was indistinguishable as such) is mainly blind and hugged the brick retaining wall at Petco. The adult cockers are also mainly blind and had horribly infected eyes. The cocker puppies all seem to have juvenile cataracts. The Jack Russell Terriers are so overweight you can barely see their legs and all they did was spin in circles.

How you can help:
First, please get out to word to everyone you know not to buy a dog from a pet store. Almost all pet stores get their dogs from puppy mills just like the ones we got these dogs from. Just imagine your own beloved dog being forced to live its entire life without human companionship but rather kept in a cage too small to stand. There is no difference between these dogs and the ones we love so much. The only difference is that most of these dogs that are used for breeding have no hope of ever becoming part of a family.

Second, if you can help and also get the word out to your friends and associates and ask for their help we would greatly appreciate it. Our veterinarian bills are already in excess of $5,000 for the medical care so far. We expect the bills to be many times this amount over the next couple of weeks. You (and your friends and associates...please pass this along and use your facebook as well) can donate by SPONSORING these dogs, donating with PayPal (button below) or sending a check directly to our office. Also, please remember to DESIGNATE HART - United Way #8363, CFC Federal #75875, CVC Virginia #8183.

Third, while all of these puppy mill dogs and puppies are in foster homes at a tremendous savings to us, there are many other dogs in local and rural shelters that need our help each and every week! So PLEASE consider fostering for HART and get the word out. While we have many wonderful foster homes, we never have enough when the calls come from the shelters that depend on us. We have also been told that we will be asked to take more dogs and puppies from puppy mills in the next few weeks. If that call comes again, we will need your help.

Emails from the fosters about these dogs:
We wanted to share with you a couple emails from some of the fosters to give you a sense of what some of these dogs have gone through and their progress so far.

From Jennifer (who is adopting Daisy aka "Oopsy Daisy", the Bulldog):
"Daisy is a peach! She had her first bath today and much like everything else, it seemed like the first time. :( Damn puppy mills! )She is fascinated by our cat, and is just great with the other dog. She is so painfully shy it breaks my heart. I've spent the last two nights on the couch so we could have her crate open and she could come & go as she pleased. She really likes to hide so I've covered 1/2 the crate. Sometimes she goes for the covered part, sometimes she hangs out of the open end to check us out. She is snoring loudly right now, sleeping right beside her cage. I'm trying to encourage her to stay on the outside of her box! :)

"I added a stuffed bunny toy to her "house" and she likes to lick it, and curl up with it. Very sweet. I bet she was a good mom. She loves it outside (when we can finally get her there!) and hopefully the housetraining thing won't be too terrible. First task is still teaching her she is safe & loved, & then how to be a dog!"

From Terry:
"They do not realize that human touch is a sign of LOVE. They hide in the back of the crate with fear of the unknown. They are very timid and do no know what to do when they step on grass...so sad.

"Great news...FINALLY Hansel (male, Schnauzer) ate and drank this evening. Kevin was determined to show Hansel and Gretel LOVE ... He actually crawled into the crate to get the dogs to eat and drink."

From Yvonne:
"Our four "gaggle of beagles" are doing great. Lots of wagging tails. Lots of eating and drinking. Still only one of them will come anywhere near us ("Princess" - the littlest one who made it on TV last night). We have been working on trust exercises by laying in the ground (submissive) and letting them come up and sniff us. It is working but I expect another week or so before we can touch them all. They are very playful and having a great time together."

From Amanda:
"Kit and Kat (the two extremely over weight Jack Russell's) are doing well.

"Kit is getting more comfortable with the human touch and actually came and sat on the floor with me last and let me pet her. She is currently sitting on my feet while I type.

"Kat still doesn't seem to like to be pet and runs away from you when you try but we will continue to work on that. Both have a gotten a bath and were very well behaved in the tub. Neither one seems to understand what a dog bowl is and won't eat the food if I put it in there so I have to leave the food on the floor for them.

"Both of them seem to really not like the crate but I don't blame them. We have begun to leave them in the kitchen so they have more room to walk around and they love that. We have been keeping the crate in the kitchen with them and they both like sleeping in it with door open. Only wish I could have gotten a picture of that. Will keep you all posted on how they are doing and as soon as I find my camera I will take pics of the new clean girls."

Thanks to all of you for your support and for all you do to help us help them!

We will keep you updated on the puppy mill dogs on this page in the days to come. Please join our Email list to keep up with the latest news!

We have a few new photos to share!


Update 11/12/09: See the Washington Post Photo Gallery: "Somebody to love?"


Update 11/14/09: Check out YouTube: "HART Needs your help!" - the Puppy Mill dogs are featured.


Update 11/15/09: As most of you are aware, on Sunday night HART took in dozens of dogs and puppies from a Missouri puppy mill. These dogs were supposedly considered "surplus" by the owner of the mill ( too old to breed and too sick or "damaged" to care about). When the dogs arrived in Fairfax and were unloaded from the RV, we saw sad and scared little souls. All of them were filthy and for many, their fur was horribly matted from years of neglect. Several needed immediate medical care. The other day we told you about Kiera the little schnauzer who was sent immediately to the HOPE Center and put on oxygen, and Huggy the English Bulldog who went to Parkway Vet Clinic for emergency surgery. Since the last update, one of the cocker spaniel puppies has gotten seriously ill and is at one of our vets getting round the clock care.

Like mostly all puppy mill dogs, the dogs we took in lead a life of utter isolation and knew nothing beyond the confines of their cramped cages.

Fast forward to today- The highlight of the week for all of us was seeing the transformation, albeit gradual, in all these dogs. Some are still too scared to approach a person and others have a way to go medically till they are healthy.

But we all felt so encouraged by the progress they had all made so far:

Zilly the peek (as sweet as pie!) now has a coat that shines. Jordon the Soft Coated Wheaton still tries to push her face into the corner and cowers, but her foster parents tell us that she is making progress every single day. Moni, the aussie, whose tail is still wagging, is now on a course of heavy duty antibiotics for a raging urinary infection which she likely endured for a very long time. Huggy the English bulldog, who was so thin and listless when she arrived, has already gained weight after her surgery and now is all wiggles when she sees her foster family! Cuddles finally learned this week how to get up on the comfy coach for a long snooze. And the adult cocker spaniels who are nearly blind are learning to trust. And this is all in just 6 days times!

Like all the dogs and cats we take in, each one of them had a story before coming to us, and it is our purpose to rewrite their future. For these little ones, that future has begun and it is finally a bright one.

Thanks to Kelly for doing the Bake Sale and everyone who baked lots of goodies for sale. They raised over $500 for the puppy mill dogs. Special thanks to Heather and her girls who TRIPLED our sales in just an hour and a half!


Update 11/22/09: Updates on some of the Puppy Mill dogs:

Jordan, the blind Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, is now Adoption Pending! Jordan is older and clearly shows signs of the neglect she suffered. As one volunteer wrote this week about her: "The odds were stacked against her, but she made it. I'll always think of her on that first night. She had little specks of newspaper in her fur and she was sitting stock still, head dipped way down, and pushing her face into the brick wall as if some black hole of an alternate universe was just going to open up and take her away from one very long nightmare."

Lizzy, one of the older Cockers Spaniels, is also Adoption Pending. A wonderful couple came looking to adopt a Cocker puppy and fell in love with sweet Lizzy.

Remember Kiera? The little Schnauzer who went to the emergency room the night she arrived from the puppy mill transport and then spent 2 days at the HOPE Center on oxygen? Well, this same little girl has a clean bill of health (clear lungs) and as it turns out, she is full of spunk. She not only demands to be held, but on Friday night at the adoption event she was trying to keep all the other dogs away from Karen, her foster mom! 100% turn around from the sick little dog we first saw. Kiera went home Saturday with a wonderful couple.

Brett, one of the Cocker Spaniel puppies, and Bagel the tiny beagle, are now Adoption Pending.


Links: Link to FOX News Story!    Link to more photos!    See more photos below!


HART's medical expenses for these dogs will be considerable. HART can only continue to take in cases like these with your help. Please consider sponsoring the puppy mill dogs! Remember, your donation is tax deductable. We'll keep you posted on their progress here. Your name and dedication will appear on this page, and on the puppy mill dogs page.

To make a quick donation with PayPal, please click the button below. On the PayPal page, please specify how you would like your name to appear on the website in the "Instructions for HART" box.

 

(click on photos to enlarge)

Bark 'n Bubbles staff washing dogs

A clean Peke

Caring Hands Staff

Claudia and Peke

Cocker Girl

Cuddles the Bulldog

Don and Aussie

Fresh Out of the Bath

Gaggle of Beagles

Handing Out Dogs

A happy Jack Russell

Help me!

Inside the RV

Linda and New Friend

Meg and Cockers

Nancy talking to Matt

New Fosters

Pacino's Owner, Sam

Schnauzer

Schnauzer Pups

Sick Cocker Spaniel

The Gathering

Tug 'o War

Young Fosters

 

New photos added 11/11/09: (click on photos to enlarge)

Daisy the Bulldog

English Bulldog, now in foster home

Knightly and Gretal the Schnauzers

Peke Girl who spent years living in a rabbit hutch

Schnauzers on Sunday night with volunteers

Sleepy Bagle the beagle

Sunday Arrival

Sunday Arrival

This beagle says Woooooo!

 

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