Beware- this might make you cry!!

[KJLive]

This is so sad! I'm embarrassed to say that we have this same problem here in Pa. about 20 miles south of my home in Lancaster. There were many puppy mills down there. A few months ago when the puppy mill laws went into affect these places were surrending 90 dogs at a shot to rescue shelters/humane society. They were so overwhelmed with dogs. Many of them were Yorkies. The local news stopped reporting on it so I never did find out how it all came to an end. I know they were safe in a shelter and were going to eventually adopt most of them out. Some were beyond help.

[mamartini]

How do I find out more about this puppymill? My cookie came from MO and now I'm scared that she lived that way. I just want to hurt those horrible people.

[Charlene1963]

The videos made me cry too. I had to know what happened next so I went to their web-site and saw this up-date. Its short but positive. If you click on the photo link there are some "after" pics as well as many "before" pics.
Humane Society of Missouri - http://www.hsmo.org: Humane Society of Missouri- Update on Yorkshire Terriers

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by ketters12

I don't know if people saw this in the news, but I couldn't find a specific link to this story that happened in February.

February 13, 2009-Working in cooperation with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, the Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Task Force is rescuing more than 90 dogs living in filthy conditions on the site of an unlicensed, substandard dog breeding facility near Pleasant Hope, Missouri. The Greene County Sheriff’s Department issued a warrant that was served to remove the animals today.

The majority of the animals are believed to be Yorkshire Terriers. The animals’ kennels were observed to be covered with feces and urine. The animals appeared to have no access to water or food. Many of the dogs have severely matted, overgrown hair. Some appeared to be limping, possibly the result of living in cages with mesh bottoms which do not properly support the small paws of these dogs.

YouTube - Humane Society of Missouri Rescued More Than 90 Yorkies from Substandard Puppy Mill

YouTube - Rescued Yorkies from Substandard Puppy Mill-Specific Dog Case

These are the "Oprah Puppymill Yorkies". Many of these dogs were in such poor shape they lost their limbs from years of neglect and living in cages. If you go to the YTNR Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue Adoptions and Shop they took in the very worst of these dogs. Look on their adoption page and you will see some of these little ones now. It is infuriating to me that this woman was able to get away with this! The little Yorkie that is running in circles will probably never be able to overcome the emotional damage that living in that cage caused to him.

What the videos do not address is the horrid smell that these poor little one continue to have even after being shaved down and the mats removed. The smell is literally in their pores and even after many bathes and being shaved down---you are still able to smell the filth! When a Yorkie's coat is allowed to overgrow and mat like that their skin starts to break down. They most likely had open wounds all over their bodies. The mats actually are capable of strangling their limbs to the point of loss of circulation and then amputation! That is exactly what happened to many of these babies~they are now in the care of YTNR with amputated limbs, no teeth from infections, some circle because that is all they ever knew. It is so beyond heartbreaking~~~~it angers me beyond words the way that these monster treat animals. It angers me as well that this is going on all over this country that there are making HUGE $$$$$ off of the backs of these poor dogs!

[RDB911]

Originally Posted by Mom to Hot Rod

I don't even know what to say. I have tears in my eyes right now. Hot Rod came from Missouri and everytime I hear something like this I wonder if he and his mother and siblings were in these conditions.

I agree, the owner should be put into one of her 2 x 2 cages.

And yes, I agree with the above poster, those people who helped with the resuce effort are angels and thank goodness for them.

I AGREE too! Put her in a cage and let her suffer! No excuse for people like that...
People r so money hungry today it makes me sick! No respect for the dogs! So sad!

[ketters12]

i just had to post this because it hit home for me so much- even more so than other stories I have seen because all the dogs were Yorkies. I found myself looking down at Tobey laying next to me and tears welling up in my eyes to think that precious little ones just like him had to spend YEARS in those cages. It makes me think that some of them were probably not even used for breeding purposes but simply just neglected completely. I agree with someone who posted that before- some of them could barely even move they were so badly matted.

what makes me more upset is that people continue to think that puppies in petstores don't come from puppy mills. I just talked to a lady at work today who bought her shih tzu from a pet store a year ago and when I talked to her about puppymills she totally acted offended that i would even imply that her dog might have came from a puppy mill and said she had his papers and he was not from one. (yeah right!)

It makes me SOOOO angry! because this doesn't have to exist!! I don't get why there aren't more laws against this kind of abuse! I do admire the work that the rescue people do- I don't know if I could stand to do it knowing you can't always help them all.

[carsou]

Wow this really broke my heart. I'm in tears right now. Poor babies.