The puppy mill in Page County closed permanently in early July. On the property were more than 130 dogs and even a few birds giving birth non-stop while mill operators collected mounds of dough.
“There are 10,000 to 15,000 puppy mills in operation across the United States and our goal is to shut each and every one of them down,” said Scotlund Haisley with Animal Rescue Corps.
The nonprofit tipped deputies to the breeding facility after investigating reports of a large amount of animals living in disgusting and nasty conditions. The majority of the dogs were underweight and had untreated eye and ear infections, skin issues, severe matting and respiratory conditions.
“They live like this their entire existence, producing litter after litter until they can produce no more, then they are discarded,” said Haisley.
Most of the animals were treated by doctors and then sent to dozens of shelters and small rescues in Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee and Canada. Now the transition is on to get them a permanent home.
“A lot if these dogs come out and they’re afraid of human touch,” said Kristin Lamoureux with Mutts Matter Rescue. “They’re not house broken so they are kind of living the life of a feral animal.”
The goal is to bring normalcy to these animals -- from sleeping in a bed to even drinking water out of dish -- the little knowledge that is needed before adoption. It is a bumpy road to recovery that won’t be easy for these little faces. But at least it is a better direction than the one they were in.
“The great reward is reaching into this cage, looking into the eyes of an animal that's known nothing but pain and suffering, and promising them new life,” said Haisley.
Charges for the mill operators are still pending. Animal Rescue Corps says if you want to help stop these operations, their advice is get your pet from a shelter. That is pretty much a guarantee that it didn't come from one of those mass breeders in the United States.
Video:
The Pet Tree House will update with they become available for adoption!
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