Dogs XL Rescue is excited to announce the rescue of 5 Saint Bernards and 1 Bullmastiff from a notorious animal hoarding case...To donate to their care visit
http://www.dogsxlrescue.org/donate and read below for more details about these resilient dogs and how you can help!
Even as experienced rescuers, we at Dogs XL are surprised, time and time again, at what people can do to animals. Nothing has shocked as much as the Henry County, Kentucky animal hoarding/puppy mill abuse case!
Watch the news coverage here:
A couple was found with nearly 200 animals, ranging from horses to guinea pigs, on their property. There were numerous dogs including small and large breed. The conditions were deplorable. Crates filled with inches of slug served as the only home animals have ever known.
Dogs were housed in such small areas that they nearly had to stand on top of each other. Animals were found dead not having survived the horror they experienced.
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The crates from the home of the puppy mill owners.
Dogs forced to sleep in feces and disease! |
The rescuers went in not expecting the extent of the animal abuse they found. This aerial coverage shows a portion of the land used for breeding and poor care of the animals.
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| Forced to have litter after litter |
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| Over bred with no vet care |
The animals were seized by animal control while the accused couple faced a court case. Unfortunately, the animals had to wait while the court case proceeded - they could not be adopted out nor could they be spayed and neutered. The small animal control was totally overwhelmed but neighboring animals lovers, such as Carroll County, Kentucky animal advocate Tammie L. Crawford, stepped up to help distribute the animals among groups of supporters.
After a few long months, and a number of twists and turns (including the husband committing suicide), the court case has ended as of this week. We are pleased to report the accused has been found guilty but sadly the punishment seems very disproportion to the crime- she may not even face jail time.
Luckily for the animals, they are now free to find forever homes. Dogs XL has committed to taking 5 Saint Bernards and 1 Bullmastiff. They have been in a foster situation with animal advocate Tammie Crawford for the last four months awaiting freedom.
Starting next weekend (April 28) Dogs XL will transport 2 dogs per weekend to Baltimore to begin the next stage in their life. They will receive appropriate medical care, get behavior evaluations, and then begin seeking their forever homes.
Despite the squalor and isolation of their earlier lives, the dogs are sweet and kind. They love people and seek affection and attention from anyone they meet. They also regularly play in the yard with each other. Tammie reported the joy she experienced when she saw the dogs run for the first time. Imagine, a 5-6 year old dog who had never experienced the joy of the wind in their face while she run laps around the yards, feeling her ears flop around!
Over the next few weeks, we will profile each individual dog and share with you pictures and personality tidbits. For now, please enjoy some quick pictures of the dogs we can not WAIT to meet.
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| Torie... strutting in lots of space! |
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| Nicholas looking pretty! |
WANT TO HELP?
We would welcome financial sponsorship of their rescue. Donations of any amount are appreciated.
Become a volunteer! Dogs XL hosts regular adoption events and always has many needs, including some which you can do behind your computer screen, which will directly and indirectly help these dogs and the other dogs in our care.
http://www.dogsxlrescue.org/volunteer
Dogs XL will be seeking amazing forever homes for these dogs. They dogs will need a patient forever home who can coach them through house training and leash walking - something they never learned while living in hell. Ideally, it would be a humane with adults and mature children. We haven't yet seen how the dogs do with small people or small animals. To learn more about adopting with Dogs XL, please visit
http://www.dogsxlrescue.org/adopt.
