By Brian Meyer and Deidre Williams
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS
Published:November 1, 2010, 7:38 AM
Updated: November 1, 2010, 7:42 AM
The 36 dogs arrived frightened and unkempt on Halloween night, and their rescuers could only imagine the horrors they encountered during their short lives.
One cocker spaniel was pregnant. So were three miniature schnauzers.
A Yorkshire terrier was limping. Another dog was being treated for a stomach disorder.
Lhasa Apsos, an American Eskimo dog, Papillons and other breeds were carefully removed from cages in a truck that pulled into an East Amherst dog training center Sunday night.
The dogs share a harrowing past. They were rescued from a Missouri puppy mill that had recently decided to close. Animal advocates are convinced that its appearance on the U.S. Humane Society's "Dirty Dozen" list of the most deplorable facilities in the state contributed to its closure.
"They were squishing a bunch of dogs in a little cage like this," said Janice Jabcuga, pointing at a cage that was about two feet long and two feet wide. "That's how these puppies were living."
Jabcuga's dog training center on Transit Road became the nerve center Sunday night for what advocates described as one of the region's largest rescue missions. Prior to arriving here, the group delivered 15 rescued dogs to various sites.
Numerous groups from across the country, including the Perry-based Going to the Dogs Rescue, converged on the closed puppy mill in Mexico, Mo., to place bids on dogs. Their goal was to acquire as many animals as possible in hopes of preventing breeders from buying more stock for their mills.
Melissa A. Henchen of Going to the Dogs Rescue said groups managed to acquire about 200 of the 870 dogs that were placed on the selling block. Following a journey that spanned more than 700 miles, some dogs were shaking and disoriented.
"A lot of puppy mill dogs have known a certain way of life for a really long time. And that is a cage," Henchen said.
Voters in Missouri will consider a referendum this week that would impose stricter regulations on puppy breeders, another factor that she believes helped trigger the massive auction over the weekend.
Groups across the nation raised $15,000 to place bids. A man from Byron bought the truck needed to transport the animals back to New York. Dozens of residents showed up Sunday to help wash and groom the dogs. Others volunteered to serve as temporary foster parents, and they applauded as the truck pulled up at Love Your Dog Inc. on Transit Road.
"These two are going home with me," said Akron resident Mary Prentice, pointing to two tiny Yorkshire terriers. Prentice also offered to provide temporary shelter for a Puggle.
But there's a lot of work to do before many of the animals can be permanently placed in home.
The dogs that arrived Sunday following a 16-hour journey haven't been around people. Most would have to learn basic tasks such as how to walk up stairs -- not to mention walking on leashes.
"They'll need to get socialized," said Allison Ramunno, who along with Kelly Ganzenmuller founded Speaking Out for Animals, a group that rescues cats and dogs.
The sad reality is that some of the rescued animals might not be suitable for permanent adoption, said Jabcuga, who has been training dogs for 25 years. But many of the dogs can become beloved pets, especially with training.
Michelle Senters, who works at Love Your Dog Inc. brought home two rescue dogs Sunday, even though she already has three dogs in her West Seneca home.
It's not unusual for people involved in animal rescue to offer temporary homes to large numbers of animals. John Henchen of Going to the Dogs Rescue said he and his wife Melissa have been foster parents to close to 200 dogs, he estimated.
Earlier Sunday, animal advocates held a peaceful demonstration on Sheridan Drive in Amherst to raise public awareness of some puppy mills.
The demonstration -- which was organized by Jackie Flanigan, a Buffalo native who moved to Pennsylvania two years ago -- was not targeting the Missouri kennel. But one of the pickets, 27-year-old Tara Bruegger of North Tonawanda, said it is not unusual for puppy mills across the country to contact rescue agencies for help under certain circumstances.
Morgan Dunbar, president of the Animal Allies Club at Canisius College, said most pet shop puppies come from kennels that are in deplorable condition. The animals receive little to no veterinary care.
"It's really a disgusting industry and it needs to be stopped," she said.
http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article237784.ece