21 puppy mill busts so far in 2010

April30

If this isn’t an epidemic, I don’t know what is: In the first four months of 2010, a puppy mill has been discovered in the U.S. nearly once a week.

Take a look:

JANUARY

Fifty-one dogs were taken from a breeder in rural Minnesota
Seventy-five dogs were found squeezed into a shed and small trailer in Houston.
Another 75 dogs were found suffering at a kennel in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
In Amarillo, Tex., nearly 30 dogs were found in bad shape after the breeder died.

FEBRUARY

In Kankakee County, Ill., more then 50 Maltipoos, Yorkies and pugs, 10 of them pregnant, were found in a freezing shed with broken bones, fleas and mites and internal injuries.
In Sandusky County, Ohio, 33 basset hounds and Pomeranians were discovered mired in feces.
A Douglass, Kansas breeder who had failed six of her last eight inspections agreed to relinquish 111 dogs, but kept several dozen.
In Lawrence County, Tennessee, authorities removed 50 dogs said to be abused and neglected.
Thirty basset hounds were taken from a Montgomery County, Texas kennel.
Two dozen quivering Shih Tzus, poodles and schnauzers were seized from a puppy mill in Tulsa, Okla.

MARCH

Three hundred Welsh corgis, poodles, pugs and other breeders were rescued from a substandard kennel in Mason City, Iowa.
Almost 30 Yorkies and rat terriers suffering from heartworm, flease, parasites and rotten teeth were removed from a breeder in Rogersville, Ala.
More than 70 dogs found new homes after a breeder near North Platte, Neb., surrendered them following a surprise inspection.
Eighty-eight dogs were removed from a breeder in Upper Pittsgrove, New Jersey.
Fifty-two poorly treated pit bulls were taken from a Minnesota kennel.
Fifty-five thin dachshunds and Great Pyrenees found stacked in cages were removed from a puppy mill in Hurley, Missouri.

APRIL

Approximately 230 poodles and other dogs coated in urine and feces were rescued from a home in Sparta, Tennessee.
A Bucks County, Penn., breeder was charged with 35 counts of animal cruelty after authorities found more than 40 dogs living in filth in her home.
In Athens, Ala., more than two dozen dead dogs were found in a breeder’s freezer. Authorities rescued 20 others.
More than 100 matted, crippled dogs were taken from a breeder near Bristow, Okla.
In Gregory, Michigan, a breeder was charged with neglecting more than two dozen Chihuahuas, miniature Dobermans and other breeds.

Now check out this puppy mill rescue celebrating his freedom.

http://www.humanesociety.org/news/dispatch/2010/04/puppy_mill_rescue_tennessee_042610.html

posted under Animal Welfare News, Blogging, Puppy Mills, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Pam Bair, shelter lady extraordinaire

April23

Today’s Reading (Penn.) Eagle ran a story about Pam Bair, the shelter employee who cared for Gracie after she was rescued from a puppy mill. I’m so glad to see Pam getting a little additional recognition for her hard work. I love spending time with people who are passionate about their jobs and it’s no exaggeration to say Pam lives and breathes her love of animals. Plus, she’s fun to be around. She doesn’t take herself too seriously.

Here’s the story:

Originally Published: 4/23/2010

Slices of life: ARL employee plays part in puppy rescue

By Jill E. Sheetz

Reading Eagle

|More

Shillington, PA -

Reading Eagle: Susan L. Angstadt

Pam Bair, an employee at the Animal Rescue League, with puppies rescued from a puppy mill.

“I just wanted her to be safe and secure and happy,” Pamela Bair of Shillington said about her experience adopting a Cavalier King Charles spaniel that had been rescued from a nearby puppy mill.

Bair, an employee of the Animal Rescue League of Berks County, Cumru Township, is featured in the book “Saving Gracie,” which chronicles an Oxford puppy mill bust by the Chester County SPCA and the journey of one of the rescued dogs. The book was published in March by Howell Book House.

The puppy mill was raided about five years ago when officials rescued more than 330 Cavalier King Charles spaniels. The dogs were being kept for breeding purposes and were housed in wire cages located in three small, modular houses.

“They (the dogs) have no idea what it’s like to be out in the yard,” Bair said. “That’s how they live for their entire lives.”

Bair said the Oxford mill was one of the largest puppy mills in the area at the time it was raided.

The mill had existed for a number of years, and many of the dogs there were ill and inbred.

Seven animals shelters in surrounding counties ended up taking in the rescued dogs. The Berks County ARL housed 12 of the spaniels.

“Physically, they were a mess; mentally, they were a mess,” Bair said. “They had no idea what toys were or what a blanket was. They just were little statues.”

Bair said the dogs had developed complex health problems, including rotten teeth and skin infections. ARL staff cared for the dogs, giving them medicated baths and other treatments.

All 12 dogs remained at the shelter for the duration of the court case regarding the puppy mill. The case lasted about six months, during which time the dogs recuperated.

After that time, they went up for adoption.

“We probably had well over 100 applications,” she explained. “It was very hard pick.”

One of the applicants, Linda Jackson of Lebanon, applied after hearing about the rescued dogs.

Bair said Jackson was chosen by ARL as a good adoption candidate and soon received one of the rescued dogs.

Jackson then contacted a newspaper in the Lebanon area about her experience with the rescued dog. Carol Bradley, author of “Saving Gracie,” heard about Jackson’s story and became interested in writing about the realities and conditions of puppy mills and what happens to dogs after they are rescued.

In the book, Bradley describes the important role of ARL and its staff in restoring the dogs’ health.

Jolie, the dog Bair adopted after it had been rescued from the same mill, arrived at the ARL pregnant. Jolie had her litter a few weeks after being rescued.

All of the puppies died shortly after birth because of health problems.

“She was the worst of the 12,” Bair said. “I was thinking nobody is going to want her.”

Jolie needed to be housebroken and required a lot of patience while adjusting to her new life.

“Puppy mill dogs have no idea what normal life is; they only know that wire cage,” she said. “They’re amazed that they get fed every day.

“They just have no idea how to be social with people and how to be loved.”

About two years ago, Jolie died from heart problems. Though this was Bair’s first time adopting a dog from a puppy mill, she said she would consider doing it again in a heartbeat.

“They were the pets of a lifetime,” Bair said of the rescued dogs.

Contact Jill E. Sheetz: 610-371-5077

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Animal protection making strides, slowly

April20

Did you know that there are 84 federal laws governing the treatment of animals in the United States? I was reminded of that when I attended a conference put on by the Animal Legal Defense Fund at Harvard Law School earlier this month.

The statutes range from the Marine Mammal Protection Act, to the Endangered Species Act to the African Elephant Conservation Act. They are seldom as tough as they need to be: the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act exempts poultry from any protection, for example, and the Animal Welfare Act, which governs commercial dog-breeding, does nothing to stop a breeder from caging a dog for its entire life.

Yet changes have been made, profound ones. One of the biggest was California’s passage two years ago of Proposition 2, which requires that farm animals be allowed to turn around freely stand, lie down and fully extend their limbs. (Sad to think of that simple an edict as ground-breaking, but it is.) All it takes is for two or three big states to pass legislation along these lines to make industry fall in step everywhere else.

The conference was a great chance to hear the latest on animal law strategies. David Wolfson, the animal-welfare advocate I studied animal law under and an expert on factory farming, noted that when the campaign to improve conditions for farm animals began 12 years ago, “no one thought we could make a crack at it.”

Amazingly, 118 law schools in the U.S. now offer courses in animal law. Where animal protection is concerned, experts consider dogs, cats and other companion animals as “gateway species” — the animals most likely to introduce Americans to the broader issue of protection for all. As Paul Waldau, president of the Religion and Animals Institute and Harvard Law School lecturer, noted, “You can’t get social movements without popular support.” Given that, I’m a little surprised the puppy mill epidemic wasn’t more of a focus at the conference. For thousands of dog lovers, it the hot topic, period, and will continue to be until shoddy breeders are run out of business.

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