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240 dogs rescued from Southern Indiana puppy mill
05:44 PM EDT on Tuesday, June 2, 2009
(WHAS11) - Some of the dogs are fully grown, some are just two days old, but up until Tuesday morning, they were all living at Breezy Valley Dairy Farm in Mauckport. The dogs are housed in dozens of crates, carriers and pens scattered throughout the property.
Scotlund Haisley, Director of Emergency Services for Humane Society said, "Just makeshifts planks and wire and boards and chicken wire and metal fences, just, you name it, if they build a cage out of it an animal was stuffed in."
Haisley heads the Humane Society's Emergency Services Team and led the effort to seize all of these dogs.
"The conditions of the mill were absolutely horrible. The dogs are coming in extremely matted, overgrown nails, burns on the paw pads, crusty eyes and lot of nasal discharge. Some of them are emaciated. Some of them have some minor diseases or infections, some have a little bit more than that," said Haisley.
The Indiana Attorney General's office issued a search warrant for the property Tuesday morning. Investigators say Virginia Garwood and her daughter, Kristen Garwood, have run a commercial dog breeding operation for at least three years and owe the state about $135,000 in unpaid income taxes.
WHAS11 tried to speak to the Garwoods, but they hid from our camera.
Greg Zeller, Indiana Attorney General said, "One of the problems in Indiana frankly is that this has been in unregulated area so it has attracted a lot of these operations that can open up fairly cheaply and really without any regulations do whatever they care to as cheaply and inhumanely as they care to."
More than 60 volunteers are taking care of these 240 dogs in a temporary warehouse right now and for the first time, they're getting food, clean water, and medical care.
Haisley said, "We've got cages to accommodate each and every one of these animals, we have vets, medicines, we've got evidence crews, we've got specialized animal rescuers and handlers. It takes a lot to get to this point."
It will take a lot to make sure all these dogs are cared for properly and to eventually find them permanent homes.
All of the dogs will be available for adoption at local Humane Societies after at least two weeks of medical care. Right now, we're told many of them are suffering from Giardia, a gastrointestinal disease caused by drinking contaminated water. As for the two suspects, no criminal charges have been filed but investigators tell us that a criminal investigation is ongoing. |