Saving Puppy Mill Dogs in Va.

murraysmom · 12-05-2007, 09:31 AM

This article is from MSNBC. There is probably nothing in it that will shock or surprise folks on Cyberhound because most of you are aware of this type of thing. I was happy to see it on a national news site though, because most of the general public doesn't know this type of thing exists.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22100558/

Quote from article;

Carroll County found itself with 1,080 dogs — more than 1,100 after new births over the next few days — after county animal control officers, acting on information compiled during a five-month undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States, raided Horton’s Pups, a mass breeding farm in Hillsville, near Roanoke.

More than a dozen animal rescue agencies, some from as far away as Florida, agreed to care for and distribute the dogs for adoption. Their task is difficult. Most were already near capacity, and space is at a premium because, with winter approaching, animals can’t always be housed outdoors.

The breeding farm, which was raided Nov. 1, is “the biggest operation of its kind to our knowledge ever,” said John Snyder of the Humane Society — part of a secret nationwide network of thousands of puppy mills that sell purebred dogs to pet stores, animal brokers and Web-based pet businesses.

Betsy Iole · 12-05-2007, 11:37 AM

Very informative article--thanks for posting this, Mary. From the same article,

Quote:

If you have ever wondered where pet shops get all those cute little puppies, the answer is places like Hillsville. Animal rescue workers say the network of secret puppy mills numbers in the thousands nationwide, most maintaining fewer than 200 dogs but some much larger.[/b]

Quote:

In Independence, Va., the owner of a suspected puppy mill faces a court hearing Dec. 17 on multiple animal welfare charges after county animal control officials seized 20 puppies, which they said she was breeding and selling for $400 apiece. “The conditions there, stated in a single word: deplorable,” said Glen Richardson, a Grayson County animal control officer. The puppies had parasites and had been eating food meant for adult dogs; three died from severe malnutrition.

In Honey Brook, Pa., the local SPCA took in about 24 dogs from a suspected puppy mill after it went to court for a warrant. The facility was not heated, and the dogs had dental and skin conditions. SPCA workers said they suspected more dogs had been at the facility but were removed before the raid Saturday.

Late last month, 78 malnourished puppies of many breeds, some of them 20 to 40 pounds underweight, were removed from a licensed kennel in Lehigh County, Pa. “Their backbones are all showing,” said Harry Brown III of the Animal Rescue League in nearby Berks County, who said some of the puppies were suffering from an infection from drinking stagnant water.

And Wisconsin animal control officials took custody of nine dogs and threatened to shut down a facility where dozens more were housed after viewing videotape shot by NBC affiliate WGBA-TV of Green Bay. On the tape, which was shot in early November and shared with Shawano County sheriff’s officers, dozens of dogs can be seen crammed into small crates stacked atop one another, so that dogs on top were allowed to urinate and defecate on dogs and their food below.[/b]

2hounds · 12-05-2007, 05:16 PM

Thanks for posting that article. This is such a hard subject. I mean puppies in pet stores are completely deserving of homes...it's not their fault that they came from poor practice, but I completely understand the vicious (sp?) cycle it causes when someone buys from pet stores...thats what keeps places like the puppy mills in the articles in business.

~Heather

FredMom · 12-05-2007, 05:54 PM

Reading this really makes me sad. There some very heartless people in this world.

12-05-2007, 05:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
2hounds Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 1,130	Thanks for posting that article. This is such a hard subject. I mean puppies in pet stores are completely deserving of homes...it's not their fault that they came from poor practice, but I completely understand the vicious (sp?) cycle it causes when someone buys from pet stores...thats what keeps places like the puppy mills in the articles in business. ~Heather __________________ Mommy to Lily and Gibbs

12-05-2007, 09:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
murraysmom Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: southcentral Pa. Posts: 2,215	This article is from MSNBC. There is probably nothing in it that will shock or surprise folks on Cyberhound because most of you are aware of this type of thing. I was happy to see it on a national news site though, because most of the general public doesn't know this type of thing exists. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22100558/ Quote from article; Carroll County found itself with 1,080 dogs — more than 1,100 after new births over the next few days — after county animal control officers, acting on information compiled during a five-month undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States, raided Horton’s Pups, a mass breeding farm in Hillsville, near Roanoke. More than a dozen animal rescue agencies, some from as far away as Florida, agreed to care for and distribute the dogs for adoption. Their task is difficult. Most were already near capacity, and space is at a premium because, with winter approaching, animals can’t always be housed outdoors. The breeding farm, which was raided Nov. 1, is “the biggest operation of its kind to our knowledge ever,” said John Snyder of the Humane Society — part of a secret nationwide network of thousands of puppy mills that sell purebred dogs to pet stores, animal brokers and Web-based pet businesses.

12-05-2007, 05:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
FredMom Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 230	Reading this really makes me sad. There some very heartless people in this world.

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