What a mess - our neighboring county has their hands full with THIS one. 353 dogs were seized from a breeder; and the shelter can accommodate 36 animals :-(
I'm already 1 dog over "legal" (shhhh....) so can't help with fostering....
Horrible. The pictures are just awful. Bless all the volunteers, and foster homes. Poor breeding dogs finally have a chance at a decent life now, at least.
What got me the maddest about this whole story, is that they mentioned that the Breeder may not even face any charges???? What is with that?? There should at the very least, be a fine for each dog....to help to cover the costs the County is paying to clean, groom, and give Vet care to all those poor dogs.
I know I saw a few Papillons in those photos, and my heart breaks for them. We've already got 6 Paps, plus two other dogs, so our house is FULL, but I've talked with a few others on a Papillon Forum, and a couple of the Breed Rescues are being contacted.
From what I've heard, the Shelter is just so overwhelmed, that they aren't even accepting phone calls right now......just trying to get their ducks in a row, and get organized.
What really kills me, is that many of these wonderful, innocent dogs, won't find homes, and may even have to be destroyed due to health reasons......such a shame!!
Until these Puppy Mills feel some sort of penalty for their actions, they won't stop doing what they are doing.....and a slap on the wrist isn't enough....there is enough profit in it, even if paying some fines.....
I know many would appreciate having the Breeder live in a cage for a week, in their own feces, just like the poor dogs had to. Some of those photos were disgusting!!
Bill & Claudia / DD Jenn / DS Chris / GS MJ Dogs: Sophie, Abby, Brandy, Kahlie, Annie, Maggie, Tugger & Beau RIP: Cookie, Foxy & Gidget @ Rainbow Bridge.
2000 Winnebago "Minnie" 31C, Ford V-10
Purchased April 2008 FMCA# F407293 The Pets
A woman I know just wrote that she went to the shelter to help out - and the good people of West Michigan have stepped up and really helped a TON, with donations and helping hands. The general consensus is that most of the dogs are relatively well-fed and are looking good after baths and clipping.
It sort of sounds like this is one of those situations where a *kennel* got out of hand and turned into "hoarding"??
On edit: the latest news is that this couple were in trouble in Grand Rapids for having too many dogs - then they lost their house and disappeared, I guess? Since this will be the second time they've been in trouble - hopefully, they will be dealt with more severely??
Shelter organizers are asking for your patience if you want to adopt a dog.
"Our phone lines are being swamped, please don't call in. Go to our website, be patient and wait, or Facebook and fill out an application. No one is leaving here until at the earliest on Monday. Give us a lot of time. We have a pile of applications," said Julie Kowal of Wishbone Pet Rescue.
Though the shelter has already raised more than $13,000 to help the dogs, they are still in need of more donations.
This made me feel so much better!! Thanks for sharing it.
Nice to see people are helping these poor animals. Nice to see donations etc being sent in. God love these little ones. There is no need of this in todays society but as I know all to well Quebec here in Canada is the biggest breeding grounds in Canada. Its time to stop this behaviour
The dog breeders were arraigned and charged with failing to care for 10 or more animals - they could be sentenced to 4 years in prison and $95,000 in fines.
Realistically?? They are senior citizens in questionable health, probably living off Social Security.... I'm guessing they'll be put on probation and not allowed to own animals anymore??
A vet who was interviewed on TV said the dogs are actually in good shape - weight-wise.
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