Puppy Mill Rescue - SPCA of Wake County

Above right: SPCA Animal Care and Behavior Supervisor Kat Magee and a little red Chihuahua share one last look back at the inhumane prison that held the dog for
an unknown number of years. Above left: The dog was housed in a dirty kennel with two other dogs and no water. Other crates of dogs were stacked on top allowing
waste to fall on the dogs below. This kind of exposure to urine can burn the eyes and cause corneal ulcers – which many of the dogs have.
Puppy Mill Rescue
READ THIS FIRST
by Molly Stone, SPCA Animal Behavior Specialist
O
n Wednesday, March 14, I had the opportunity to be a part of the SPCA of Wake
County’s emergency response team working with the Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS) and the Jones County Sheriff's
Department at a puppy mill bust in Trenton, NC.
It was an experience I will never forget. We were
told to expect between 30 and 60 dogs of various
small breeds, but as is the case with every puppy
mill raid, there was no way for us to be really certain about what we’d find there before we were
there on the ground and finding it.
When we arrived at the meeting point, our
SPCA vans joined the raid caravan, led by police
cruisers with the lights flashing.
Our instructions were to park a few hundred
feet from the property and wait for the police to
give us the “go” signal. We arrived and rolled our
windows down to see if we could hear what was
happening. When we did, a stench we could not
believe slapped us in the face.
It was the smell of decay, and feces, and
urine...and it was coming from several hundred
feet away at the puppy mill.
On the Property
The police gained entry as we pulled onto the
property and parked our van amongst a stand of
pine trees. The horrible smell that had assaulted us
when we were out on the street was even heavier
when we were closer to its source, and it enveloped
everything.
The HSUS representatives went onto the property first, while our team awaited instructions. The
heavy, putrid air made some of our eyes begin to
water, and that was when I decided that we should
all vow to avoid crying while we were there to do
this job. No waterworks, just action. No matter
what horrors awaited us behind these closed doors,
I convinced myself that I’d make it through the
day without bursting into tears.
Inside the House
Puppy mill dogs are frequently unfamiliar with
people and their lack of experience combined with
their harsh environments can cause them to be particularly defensive and understandably fearful.
Most of the dogs we saw in the house were no
exception to that rule. Although our goal was to
Editor’s Note: Many of you have
told me you do not want to read sad
stories in this publication. Let me
begin by assuring you this article has a
really happy ending, and there is so
much joy and celebration to be had in
knowing these brave little dogs are
safe in our care.
In the time since the rescue, we
have been fielding questions such as,
“What exactly is a puppy mill?”
Knowing what a puppy mill is can be
important to understand for anyone
who cares about animals.
A puppy mill is a large-scale dog
breeding operation with an emphasis
on profits above animal welfare. But
that definition does not convey the
suffering and cruelty that it needs to
in order to define what happens at
these places.
I asked Molly Stone, SPCA Animal
Behavior Specialist, if she would share
with you what she saw. This and the
following three pages is her account
of the rescue. It contains some graphic
descriptions of dog living conditions.
If this may upset you, please skip
the article but stick with us because
we have so many happy stories to
share with you in the future.
– Mondy Lamb
continued on page 10
SPCA CRITTER CHATTER | 2012 Issue #1
9
Puppy Mill Rescue
obtain an official head count, we lost track
almost immediately thanks to the chaos and
the noise and the odor and the sheer number of tiny little terrified faces crammed into
such small spaces.
Among stacks of clothing, newspapers,
and general debris, we saw a French Bulldog
in a tiny crate with no water whose nails
had grown back into his paw pads. He had a
skin infection so invasive he was nearly hairless and had huge, thickened, red, bloody
patches all over his body. He had bloody
diarrhea and he could scarcely walk thanks
to the condition of his feet and the amount
of pain he must have been in. But when we
reached down to scratch his itchy, angry
skin he grunted with relief, leaned his
weight into our hands and gazed up at us
through his hazy, reddened eyes. (photo #2)
He was suffering visibly and in spite of
my scientific animal behavior background I
could have sworn that gaze was one of
“thank you.” As touched as I was, I remembered my vow and I didn’t cry. This was just
the beginning of what was going to be a
long and alarming day.
Stacked in Crates
There was a timid black and white pit
bull in a cramped crate that was too small
for her, who, like many of the dogs was
unable to make eye contact with any of us.
She shyly stared at the floor of her small
kennel and at the wall and she didn’t make a
peep when we paraded through her home.
There were several other small crates, also
without water bowls, stuffed full of terrified
Chihuahuas, some three or four each.
There was also a nursing mother Pug
with four, one-week-old puppies in a crate
on top of several others with dirty water, no
food, and no blanket. (photo #1)
I didn’t see photos of the dogs with the
family members on the wall (but I did see
commemorative Elvis Presley plates). I didn’t
see a single dog toy; I didn’t see a single leash.
What I did see were dogs without the
benefit of companionship living in inhumane conditions with urine burns on their
skin, and hairless, bleeding backs where
they’d chewed off their own fur in an effort
to relieve the itching that fleas that covered
their skin like creeping carpets caused.
Sometimes animals with too little space
to move and too few activities to keep them
busy can develop odd habits, like constantly
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SPCA CRITTER CHATTER | 2012 Issue #1
continued from page 9
licking their feet or continuously pacing in
circles. These repetitive behaviors are commonly seen in dogs who spend their lives in
the environments seen at puppy mills.
Many of the dogs in the house were
exhibiting that type of disorder, while others
looked at us with abject terror in their faces.
I was filled with a sense of urgency that I
cannot remember having experienced before.
But I remembered my vow and I didn’t cry.
Outside the House
Outside the house and in the back yard
there were several barn-like buildings, each
filled with makeshift kennels with dirt
floors, and each crowded with tiny, mistreated, malnourished and unsocialized and emotionally-injured little dogs.
Some of these cruel pens housed as many
as 7 animals apiece, without fresh water and
without food.
I realized that the pre-raid estimation of
60 animals was low. Really low. I worried
about how we’d handle such a large number
of emotionally and physically abused animals. But I only worried for a minute
because frankly, it didn’t matter.
Absolutely anything would have been better for them than where they were and there
was no doubt in my mind that we’d figure
something out for them. After all, that’s
what the SPCA of Wake County is here for.
The challenge was overwhelming as was
the odor rising from the nearby buckets of
feces that were swarming with flies and for a
few seconds I thought I might vomit, but at
least I remembered I wasn’t going to cry.
This page clockwise from the top: 1-Molly holds a oneweek-old puppy for medical assessment. 2- A French Bulldog
with flea infestation, and skin and eye infections gets a much
appreciated scratching from Molly. 3-Multiple dogs were
housed in bare, dirty kennels.
Next page top: Begging for rescue from his dirty kennel (left)
this cream and white Chihuahua is pleased to now be safe in
the SPCA’s care (right). Next page bottom: Nothing to do all
day except huddle in a barrel (left) this long-haired
Dachshund is also visibly happy to be free (right).
Puppy Mill Rescue
There were others that were frozen and hiding in the 50-gallon drums that they’d been
provided for “shelter.” And then there were
others who were so clearly starving for our
attention and our affection that they were
clambering all over each other to get closer to
us as we passed.
One particularly enthusiastic little
Dachshund was actually climbing the fence at
the front of his kennel whenever we walked by
as if he were begging us to get to him faster,
faster. His desperation was heartwrenching but
I remembered my vow and I didn’t cry.
There was also an outdoor kennel area
where we saw much of the same. Wastesmeared flooring over muddy kennel floors and
dogs in such deplorable conditions it surprised
me that they were all alive.
Some of their coats were so matted the dogs’
movement was restricted. Some of their teeth
were so diseased they looked like they had
mouths full of little baked beans. Some of their
eye infections were so severe their eyes were
caked shut with a greenish film.
The stench was so oppressive it felt like a
mask. The more I saw, the less I could believe.
These animals were living in a nightmare.
Damaged Little Dogs
In some of the filthy kennels there were
chunks of vinyl flooring smeared with feces and
stained with urine covering the holes the dogs
had dug, either in an attempt to have a cool
place to rest or to entertain themselves since
they had absolutely nothing else to do.
There were spinning, barking and pacing
dogs all suffering from captivity-related behavioral disorders.
There were snarling, growling, defensive
dogs all regarding us with the mistrust that
comes from having had too few positive interactions with too few people.
The Routine of the Rescue
There were short and long-haired
Chihuahuas, short and long-haired
Dachshunds, French Bulldogs, a few shaggy little Shih-tzu types, Pugs, Pomeranians, two pit
bulls and one very pregnant calico cat.
We broke into two teams, divided the property in half, and we started the rescue sweep.
Each dog was numbered, removed from its
enclosure, photographed, and then taken to the
medical table where a volunteer veterinarian
was waiting to check them out.
After their exams, the dogs were placed in carriers with their medical reports attached. We gave
them water and let them rest in the shade while
we went back to start the whole process again.
There were so many it felt like we’d never be
able to get to them all – as it turns out there
were 88 in all, plus the cat.
Almost all of them had terrible flea infestations and unhealthy skin, painfully long toenails and filthy, mite-infested ears. A few of the
animals had such serious medical issues that
they had to be separated from the others and
rushed directly to CareFirst Animal Hospital at
Grace Park for urgent care.
continued on page 12
SPCA CRITTER CHATTER | 2012 Issue #1
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Puppy Mill Rescue
continued from page 11
Above: One very pregnant cat was rescued along with the 88 dogs. Less than
36 hours after she arrived at the SPCA, three more rescues arrived. She had
her kittens in a comfy cardboard “birthing box” in the treatment room at the
Adoption Center. Right: Despite everything, the urge for human companionship is still there. The instinct just needs to be nurtured.
Some clung to us and clawed the air when
we lifted them while others shivered and trembled and urinated with fear. While others really seemed to enjoy the physical contact; probably the first kind human hands they’d had lain
on them in their lives.
I’ve never seen so many dogs in such desperate need in one place before, but I remembered my vow and I didn’t cry.
The Unbelievable Truth
And then there was a lovely, long-haired red
dachshund who behaved as though everyone
in her cruel world was the best friend she’d
ever had. Her coat was matted and smelly but
somehow she managed to have joy in her eyes
and her tail – heavy with feces and matting –
never stopped wagging.
During her exam, the veterinarian found a
chicken bone wedged into her gums above her
teeth and poking into the roof of her mouth. It
couldn’t be removed without sedation.
All I could think of was how much it hurts
when my toothbrush slips and I jab the roof of
my mouth with it and I realized how much
constant pain that dog must have been in for
heaven only knew how long.
And still she was trusting and affectionate
and clearly hungry for companionship and for
the millionth time that day I couldn’t believe
my eyes. And I cried.
I brought the first load of dogs home
around 5:00pm. We set them all up in clean
kennels with clean water and clean blankets
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SPCA CRITTER CHATTER | 2012 Issue #1
and toys and although they were very frightened and confused, within a half hour all of
those brave little characters had fallen fast
asleep. I wondered if any of them had ever had
a clean blanket to sleep on before that
moment, and yes, I cried again.
Life at a Puppy Mill
Puppy mills are rarely full of puppies.
Puppies are the products that puppy mills distribute. The adult dogs who remain imprisoned there, where they are used and used
again as breeding stock, are the ultimate victims. Not only is the puppy mill life difficult
for them physically, it causes severe damage to
them behaviorally as well.
Puppy mill dogs have never been housetrained, they’ve never learned basic obedience,
they’ve never ridden in a car, they’ve never
chased a frisbee, they’ve never had a play date,
they’ve never learned a trick or been encouraged by a treat. Puppy mill dogs never get the
opportunity to do “Dog Things,” and their
lack of opportunity can cause them to behave
very differently than other dogs.
“They Can’t Take That Away From Me...”
The one thing these brave little dogs have
going for them is their instinct. The amazing
and wonderful thing is that in most cases a
dog’s desire to be a social animal and desire for
human companionship is an instinct that can’t
be starved or neglected or beaten out of them.
The urge for human companionship is
deeply ingrained and stretches back thousands
of years to the beginning of wolves’ relationship to man.
So I am betting that like other dogs we have
rehabilitated, these damaged dogs (after their
urgent medical needs are seen to) need time in
a loving environment to learn to do the things
they have never had the opportunity to do.
What’s to Come
Right now I do not know when these dogs
will be available for adoption. The timing for
each particular dog will vary but they all need
medical care, socialization, nutrition, (and
baths, for the love of all that is good and holy!)
But they are safe now and my heart is still
bursting with pride that I was able to be such
a big part of the day their lives changed for the
better.
I will never, ever understand why the criminals that operate puppy mills do what they do,
but after the raid in Jones County, I have a
renewed understanding of why I do what I do.
Thank you donors for making this rescue possible.
– Molly Stone, March 16, 2012
Special thanks to Kim Alboum and the Humane
Society of the United States (HSUS), the Jones County
Sheriff's Department and to the anonymous buyer
who went to purchase a purebred puppy but instead
bore witness to a devastating scene of cruelty and consequently called the police on behalf of these animals.
60¢ a day never looked so cute.
Become a Monthly Donor at www.spcawake.org/donate
F
Money Well Spent:
You can feel confident that your support is
truly making a difference because the SPCA of
Wake County holds the highest ranking from
Charity Navigator.
For the fifth year in a row, Charity
Navigator awarded 4 out of a possible 4 stars
to SPCA Wake. This national award is given
only to organizations who are the most responsible with donor contributions and direct the
highest percentage of donations into programs
and services. Only 4% of charities in the US are
able to achieve this rating 5 years in a row.
A Reminder of How Important You Are:
The SPCA of Wake County is not a government agency and we receive no tax dollars.
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Please, give locally to rescue locally. You
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SPCA CRITTER CHATTER | 2012 Issue #1
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