179 dogs rescued from puppy mill in Virginia -- The story begins
There were pugs and pomeranians, westies, scotties, beagles, chihuahuas, poodles, shih tzus, cocker spaniels, and dachshunds...to name a few. Some were pregnant females who had clearly been cruelly over-bred for years and years. In all, there were 179 dogs and puppies who had never been allowed to play on the grass or be held or hugged. These were the animals that Best Friends and local animal groups in Virginia rescued from a dilapidated puppy mill late in the night of Friday, October 12, and into dawn the next day.
The puppy mill in question was operating under medieval conditions—kerosene lamps, no electricity, small confinement cages, and no running water. In March of this year, it caught fire and, tragically, nearly 200 dogs and puppies lost their lives.
The puppy mill owner wanted to rebuild, but Best Friends joined other rescue organizations and lobbied local officials for higher standards on puppy mill facilities. As a result, officials rejected the breeder’s bid to rebuild and stay in operation—and at least this one puppy mill was forced out of business.
Frustrated, the puppy mill owner declared that if he couldn't find another puppy mill to buy the dogs, he'd "rather sell all the dogs at auction than see them go to animal rescuers."
Dogs sold at public auction are typically purchased by brokers representing commercial breeders and animal researchers.
"No way were we going to let the surviving dogs go to auction," says Paul Berry, Best Friends' executive director. "Given all they'd been through, the prospect of their moving on to another puppy mill- or worse, ending up in a research lab- it was just out of the question."
So Best Friends arranged a third party purchase of all the remaining dogs to ensure their protection from further abuse. "It was the responsible, ethical thing to do," says Berry.
As joyful as the scene was on Saturday, seeing all the dogs get their first tastes of freedom, the "undercover" purchase the night before was tense and exhasuting for the team. Best Friends rescue staff and local partners waited for hours in the misty Virginia night as the dogs were removed from the puppy mill facility by ones and twos to our waiting, unmarked trucks.
Once the dogs were all finally in our custody, they were whisked to a nearby secure location where local volunteers worked through the night to attend to the dogs' immediate medical needs and prepare them for transport the next day.
By Sunday, all the dogs rescued from the puppy mill—and the three litters of puppies born during rescue operations—had been taken from Virginia to the Pets Alive facility in New York.
Over the next few weeks, Best Friends staff veterinarians and behaviorists will be managing medical issues as well as advising an ongoing assessment of the impact of puppy mill confinement on the dogs’ physical and mental health. During that time, we’ll also be coordinating with breed rescue organizations across the nation to find forever homes for all the Virginia rescue dogs. A few of the dogs- in particular older dogs whose health has been too compromised by years of forced breeding- will return to the Best Friends sanctuary in Utah for long-term medical care and a new life.
We’ll have much more information about the Virginia puppy mill rescue operation as the story unfolds over the coming few weeks.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT PUPPY MILLSPuppy Mill Frequently Asked QuestionsCommon statistics and general information about puppy mills.
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photos by Clay Myers