Urgent Intake: 18 Dogs Rescued From Suspected Puppy Mill

Yesterday, we received a call from Animal Control asking if we could help with dogs coming from a suspected puppy mill situation. Now, 18 dogs are in our care.

The first three dogs we took in, a Mastiff, a Cane Corso, and a smaller bully breed, were being kept outdoors in muddy, dirty kennels and appear to have been left there through recent snowstorms. Their water bowls were frozen, there was no food to be seen, and the tarps covering their kennels were weighed down with snow and close to collapsing. Despite this, all three dogs immediately reached out for human contact when help arrived.

All three have poorly cropped ears that appear to have been done fairly recently and sore spots from laying on hard ground. The Mastiff and the bully both have bloody tails from ongoing happy tail injuries caused by living in such small spaces for extended periods of time. The Mastiff is noticeably malnourished, and the brown bully had a bloody mouth, likely from chewing on her kennel. Even so, all three are sweet and eager for care.

We also took in 15 additional dogs: 14 French Bulldogs and 1 small bully mix. These dogs were housed indoors and are overall in okay condition comparitvely, but the signs of neglect are still there. Many were chewing on their kennels to the point of bending the bars. Their food and water bowls all empty. Several have active skin allergies and severely overgrown nails, and many of the smallest dogs have clearly had multiple litters. The larger bully mix is still healing from a recent C-section, with stitches still present.

We do not know when, or if, any of these dogs have seen a veterinarian.

All 18 dogs are now safe but are not cleared by Animal Control to go anywhere, meaning they will remain in our care for an unknown amount of time. During that time, we are responsible for their medical exams, treatment, and daily care.

Donations made today go directly toward their immediate medical needs and ongoing care as we work through this case. Your support helps us continue showing up for dogs who had no choice.

Thank you for being here. We will of course keep you updated along the way.