(This is one of my articles in the Fall 08-Winter 09 issue of Animail, published by the Montgomery County Humane Society)
Sweet NC puppy mill survivors receive TLC at MCHS Rescue
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Montgomery County Humane Society saved 15 dogs rescued a week earlier from a puppy mill in Wayne County, NC. Mostly small breeds – Yorkies, Poodles, Chihuahuas, Pomeranians and Shih-Tzus – many were emaciated, severely matted, had overgrown their collars, and were suffering from dental and other serious medical ailments.
The scene on the day of their arrival showed MCHS teamwork in action. Staff and volunteers lined up at the MCHS Private Rescue to welcome the dogs and start them on the path to recovery and love. Some had severely matted coats, all were filthy, and all had overgrown nails.
“It is appalling that any breeder would allow animals to be raised this way,” said MCHS President and CEO Cris Bombaugh. “These dogs are now getting the medical attention, grooming and TLC they so badly need with our staff and volunteers.”
Truly the lucky ones
A year-long investigation by The Humane Society of the United States into Thornton’s Kennels led to the seizure of these dogs. The HSUS and Wayne County Animal Control partnered to rescue almost 300 neglected animals. Volunteers with United Animal Nations oversaw a temporary emergency shelter in North Carolina.
As the dogs were handed from person to person coming off the truck in Rockville, each one was given a core vaccine and examined for ear mites and eye infections. All allowed themselves to be held close by gentle human arms.
“Despite not having been handled with care and compassion by humans, these dogs were incredibly tolerant and trusting as we clipped nails, removed mats from those with longer hair, gave them baths and dried them, and cleaned their ears,” said Aileen Montgomery, MCHS board co-chair. “I can assure you that they had not ever been clean before, yet they cooperated with bathing and everything else.”
Just before press time, Robert Henne, manager of the MCHS Private Rescue, said, “The dogs are doing great with social and physical rehabilitation.” They were starting to play bow and chew on toys soon after settling in. By the week following their arrival, they were made available for adoption visits and applications.
“The compassion of the volunteers and community has been amazing,” he added. “It would have been impossible for us to save these animals without them.”
From misery to comfort
Montgomery said their progress spoke to the unconditional love and trust these animals have for people, even though they had been mistreated for all of their lives until now. “They enjoy and eagerly respond to human attention, but don’t quite know what it’s all about or how to ask for it. Some climbed into my lap today and fell asleep when I held them. I wonder if they’ve ever been warm, clean and able to sleep peacefully without all of the noise, stench, squalor, and discomfort they endured in the puppy mill, which was an unvented warehouse and outhouses, housing these dogs in very small wire cages.”
O’Malley, one of the smallest dogs, will make somebody a wonderful companion, Montgomery added.. “She has come a very long way already and even came to me (OK, for some canned food). She did climb into my lap and I held her for quite some time. She slept like a rock – I didn’t have the heart to move and awaken her. You have to wonder if any of these dogs ever slept peacefully in that putrid, noisy dump.”
“I think they are finally able to relax,” Laureen Prebilic, manager of the MCHS Foster Program, summed up. “The dogs that went to a foster home have just been lying on the foster parents’ laps and sleeping. I don’t think they could relax like that in that hell hole. It’s so great we were able to get them out of that puppy mill and into a much better life.
“I love what I do.”
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Permission to reprint provided credit is given to the Montgomery County Humane Society /
b j Altschul
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Speak out against puppy mills
MCHS Board Co-chair Aileen Montgomery said there are tens of thousands of other puppy mills that we don’t know about yet. “That’s what makes all of us nuts. Please heighten awareness however you can that puppies purchased from pet stores support these inhumane operations.”
HSUS is currently strongly urging local law enforcement to pursue criminal charges against the North Carolina mill owner and bar her from breeding dogs in the future. Legislation has been introduced in Maryland and a number of other states to limit the number of dogs in puppy mills and to require humane treatment. Please contact your legislators and ask them to help prevent cruelty to animals raised in these facilities.
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Facts About Puppy Mills
Source: The Humane Society of the United States
See the campaign at StopPuppyMills.org
- Approximately one-third of the nation’s independent pet stores sell puppies.
- The HSUS estimates that 2 to 4 million puppy mill puppies are sold each year in the U.S.
- Puppy mill puppies often have health problems, genetic defects and behavioral issues.
- Documented puppy mill conditions include over-breeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor food and shelter, crowded cages and lack of socialization.
- Dogs kept for breeding in puppy mills suffer for years in continual confinement. They are bred as often as possible and then destroyed or discarded once they can no longer produce puppies.
- Pet stores and puppy mills use attractive websites to hide the truth and to dupe the public into thinking that they are dealing with a reputable breeder.
- Reputable breeders never sell puppies over the Internet or through a pet store and will insist on meeting the family who will be purchasing the dog.
- Puppy mills contribute to the pet overpopulation problem which results in millions of unwanted dogs euthanized at shelters every year.
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Key media coverage to date
Potential new owners vie for rescued dogs from alleged puppy mill
by Melissa Brachfeld on Gazette.net, 2/20/09
Puppy Rescue
Michael Jamal (sp?), WUSA 9 News Now, 2/19/09
Humane Society takes in 15 rescued dogs
by Melissa Brachfeld in The Gazette, 2/18/09
Rescued puppies need homes
by Aaron Stern in the Potomac Almanac, 2/18/09
NC puppy mill survivors ready for adoption in Mont. County. Photos!
by Michelle Critchell in DC Dogs Examiner, 2/18/09
County Humane Society takes in 15 rescued dogs
by Melissa Brachfeld on Gazette.net, 2/13/09
Puppy mill bust brings battered dogs to Rockville
Online story by Ashley E. Brown for NBCWashington.com, 2/12/09
with video reported by Miguel Almaguer for NBC 4
The NBC video has been picked up by network affiliates along the East Coast, MSNBC, and at least one national blog I’m aware of:
Puppy mill dogs headed to a better life
For the Love of the Dog, 2/12/09
Selected other mentions:
Rescued puppies brought to DC
Fox 5 TV, 2/12/09 (see end of 3rd graf and tail end of video)
Dogs rescued in N.C. destined for D.C. adoptions
News Channel 8, 2/12/09 (link to MCHS website, and mention at tail end of video clip)
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Our rating: Puppy mills — 0 kongs
Rescuers — 1,000 kongs
OK, so John Grogan didn’t adopt Marley the ideal way. His journalist colleague was clueless about everything that caring for an animal involves. The breeder wasn’t what I’d call responsible, i.e., she didn’t screen the Grogans as prospective owners in terms of their knowledge of the breed’s characteristics, the extra work raising a puppy entails, and the couple’s capability to adapt their lifestyle while getting the right kind of training for that particular doggone-ality.
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