Connecticut
Dogs rescued from Missouri puppy mill land in CT and hope to find a new leash on life
An airplane filled with poodles, dachshunds and other dogs rescued from a breeding mill in Missouri landed at Bradley International Airport on Saturday afternoon.
The 21 dogs, with a mix of ages and breeds, were part of a group of 225 dogs rescued from breeding mills or surrendered by breeders to BISSELL Pet Foundation and the Colorado-based National Mill Dog Rescue.
The Connecticut Humane Society sent two staff members down to Missouri this week to help coordinate transfers of the dogs, who were being flown and driven to rescues in Connecticut, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin and other parts of Missouri.
It all started with a phone call from rescuers to the Connecticut Humane Society, asking them to take in as many of the dachshunds, poodles, Pomeranians and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels as they could.
Within a week of that call the 21 of the dogs were ready to be brought to Connecticut where they will settle in at the humane society’s facility in Newington before finding their new homes, said Theresa Geary, director of operations for the Connecticut Humane Society. The dogs landed at Bradley International Airport about 3 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s pretty incredible when you think that all of these shelters and organizations worked together to move 225 dogs across this country in less than a week, said Geary.
Geary said that although the dogs have already undergone veterinary care in Missouri, they’ll receive more care and be thoroughly checked out by veterinary staff once they arrive in Connecticut.
“We’ll take a good, strong look at them,” said Geary, who said the dogs will likely need a lot of comfort and care as they adjust to their new surroundings and calm down from their rescue and travels.
“One of the guys on our flight is about 10 years old, so he’s lived his entire life in a breeding facility,” said Geary. “They’ve never been in a home so they don’t know what a television is or stairs are. They’re going to need some patience and understanding.”
Geary said that the dogs, who have not had regular medical care, will likely all need dental work. They will also need to be spayed and neutered, she said, after being used for breeding their entire lives.
After that, they will need a lot of socialization to adjust to living safely in a home. The goal is to get them all settled with foster families, said Geary, but “it’s going to be a different path for everybody based on where they’re at medically and emotionally.”
“There’s going to be a lot of really basic social work for these guys to reduce stress and get them used to a relationship with people that is different what they’ve experienced,” said Geary.
Volunteers and staff members were dropping some dogs off in New York about 1 p.m. before bringing the 21 dogs to Connecticut, the humane society said.
Bringing rescued dogs to the northeast “allows them to come to a region where placement is typically quicker, and where they’re able to receive the care they need before they go to a home,” said the humane society in a statement.
“Shelters in the Northeast typically do not become crowded with animals, so when there is space available to help with overpopulation in different regions, transports are arranged and different shelters work together to save pets’ lives,” the humane society added.
As soon as the rescue dogs are ready for adoption, they’ll be available on the Connecticut Humane Society website.
Humane society facilities are open for adoptions from noon to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week.