Puppy Mill Update: 11/19

The good news: 19 dogs have been pulled so far from 2 breeders. From a breeder in Iowa, 11 dogs. From another in Missouri, 8 dogs.

The Iowa 11 were taken to the vet a few days ago, have all gotten their shots and are in the process of being neutered/spayed. This group has Hattie and Sawyer, the parents of the other 9 dogs: Chet (5), Conway (2), Olivia (1), Madison (1), Bradley (1), Abraham (1), and the puppies: Ruby, Dolly and Hazel. These dogs are well on their way to a happy life.

The Missouri 8 were picked up Tuesday night from the breeder and brought directly to the vet. This is a group with one male and 7 females: Ricky - male (8), Daisy (2), Sasha (4), Lizzy (4), Annabelle (7), Lady (6), Sammy Jo (6), and Patsy (2). They were rescued just in the nick of time for most of these dogs and just a little too late for one of them.

These dogs were living in a barn with no light or windows. The ground was covered in straw and the dogs were huddled together in wire pens. If the dogs were let out of the barn at all during the day, the conditions wouldn't have been much better as the property was practically a junkyard. All of these dogs were in horrible condition. They are either extremely over or underweight and covered in so many fleas the vet couldn't start fixing any of the dogs until the fleas were under control.

While Sammy Jo was being spayed, the vet found a mass attached to a major blood vessel. It is not serious, so it will be removed by a vet once she arrives in New York so she does not make the long trip so soon after surgery. Only one of the Missouri 8, Sasha, was heartworm positive. She will still be making her way to New York, but along with the second transport of dogs.

But the rescue team was too late for one of the dogs, Ricky. After being neutered, the vets returned to find Ricky had died, probably from a heart attack. Ricky was 20 pounds underweight; his chest was filled with blood, he was flea infested, anemic, and filled with worms. But we will not be leaving Ricky behind. He will be cremated and sent up to New York with the rest of his hound family and laid to final rest here.

Please consider helping these homeless and unhealthy hounds by visiting our Firstgiving page and donating to this rescue mission.

More information on the individual dogs will be available in the coming weeks. Please keep reading the blog and keep checking nybasset.org. If you are interested in adopting one of these dogs, please read about our adoption process and fill out the adoption application. We will have an adoption event at Boom Towne Canine Center in early December where pre-approved adopters may be able to bring home their new hounds.