Puppy mills can be found all over our country. Most of the mills you read about are in the Amish country in the North. However we have them here in the South and in all parts of the country. Greed and cruelty can be found every where.

7/10/07 VICTORY! In the case of the puppy mill that Tracker Jack,Tracker Jackie, Bebe, Trapper,(aka Nikoli), Natsha, Tabitha, Toby, Chloe,  Bubba, Sassy Pants, Corki, and all the other puppy mill survivors came from. In the criminal case, both puppy millers were found guilty of animal cruelty and were sentenced to 45 days in jail, suspended, 1 year’s supervised probation, 5 years of unsupervised probation, and not a single animal in their possession for the period of probation. All of the animals remaining on their property were ordered confiscated. In the civil case,they lost again. No monetary damages were ordered, but this never was about money. Every finding of the judge applied to both cases. The opposing attorneys argued in closing that 19-A, which formed the basis of the civil action, was unconstitutional and that there was no other state law in the U.S.that allowed any citizen to bring suit, charging animal cruelty.

Summary:The puppy millers were found guilty, dogs will be confiscated, the precedent of standing of 19-A has been set, and N.C. has animal cruelty laws now, protecting animals, that don’t exist in any other state. Our Mary JO(OUR meaning everyone involved in this process- not just PomRescue.com, I was just a very small fry in this whole process) dedicated ‘court reporter’ wrote this. “A notable NC VET during the court proceedings described the conditions at the puppy mill as appalling, based on photos, videos, medical records, and testimony of witnesses he reviewed. He noted poor sanitation, ocular lesions, permanent isolation, and visible wounds. The ammonia levels were 21-41 parts per million, ranging from the odor from a freshly opened bottle of Mr. Clean, to very toxic levels. He said that each animal whose photograph he saw was in unrelenting pain. He said that inflammation itself was proof of pain and that all mammals felt pain in the same way. Dogs, however, demonstrate pain differently than humans. They are unable to describe their pain and these dogs had no opportunity to have their attention diverted from chronic pain. Studies in humans and animals show that chronic pain can be better tolerated if the individual’s attention is diverted. These animals have no diversion – they see the 4 sides of wooden crates and the building’s ceiling, when wood covering is lifted. Buildings are dark – no relief at all from suffering. Animals in acute pain (sudden injury, etc.) will yelp or run from the source. However, chronic pain in unrelenting and, as in humans, dogs attempt to avoid exacerbating the painful area. Chronic pain is extremely debilitating in dogs, causing depression and compromised immune systems. His testimony was heart-breaking and very strongly worded. He was asked by the judge how he studied and evaluated pain. The Dr. said that the owner of a dog could sometimes not recognize chronic pain, but could see the difference when the pain was successfully treated. Owners typically said that these dogs, who had become increasing lethargic over time with unrelenting pain, suddenly became puppies again, regardless of age.” Mary Jo also noted “The conditions on the property made any treatment impossible and even a cursory examination difficult. The ammonia levels were very high and the lighting was so bad that they used the flashes from their cameras to light crates and cages so that they could determine how many animals they contained. The odor and lack of ventilation were terrible(thank you Mary Jo for helping me to feel like I was there)

MSNBC aired the National Geographic Ultimate Explorer ‘Love those Dogs’.
The program shows film footage of the puppy mill where Tracker Jack, Sassy Pants and Bubba were rescued and features Tracker Jack and Bubba as their rescue takes place. Please share their stories with your friends and family. Let them know that this is where dogs in pet stores come from, and encourage everyone to look into adoption. It is so important that we get the word out that pets should not be bought from pet stores, flea markets, and on the Internet. They can be supplied puppies from puppy millers who only care about how much money they can make. They have no interest in the genetic defects  that can be passed on to poorly bred animals. They are not worried about the diseases that the poor puppy is likely to get. They are not worried about who buys the animal and if it goes to a good home. The parents can be poorly cared for and housed like chickens in cages stacked on on top of the other in some dark filthy, windowless building. They are in the pet breeding business for one reason only - to make money! If we stop buying pups from pet stores and teach others to do the same thing we will dry up the revenue for the millers and they will have to turn to other methods of profit.

Please read this article about the Sanford Puppymill case:
http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/4377/NC/US/1
Tracker Jack, Bebe, Tracker Jackie and Trapper, Natsha, Tabitha, Toby, Chloe,  Bubba, Sassy Pants, & Corki , all came from the Sanford, NC puppy mill. All are toothless, 2 are blind, one is cripple and one has no lower jaw. They have all been here at PomRescue.com, but now Bebe is living with Linda Landers in Texas.

10/12/07

Dear Fosters –
I am proud, thrilled, honored and awed that I can announce to you that today the North Carolina Supreme Court rejected the Woodleys’ request for a further review of their case, meaning that all appeals in the case are now over and we simply need to get the District Court (Judge Corbett) to sign the final order which will be the formal/legal end to the process.  But it is, for all concerns, all over but that signature.
I want to be sure you realize that you have been (and will continue to be) participating in a legal matter of immense significance — not just to over 300 dogs saved, but to the entire country.  The legal and animal world has been watching this case closely, and the case has been recognized as one of the most important wins in animal law.  We could not have done it without you.  On behalf of myself personally, and ALDF as a group, we salute you and offer you our deepest and largest expressions of gratitude for sticking with us through the process, for adhering to the sometimes troubling rules and requirements that were placed upon you (and us), and for being supportive and loving parents to the dogs who we pulled from hell to Heaven with you.  And if I can dare elevate my status and speak for the real parties in interest here — the dogs — you are saviors in every sense of the word,
Please note that with the prior rulings, this is not yet completely final. As I said above, we need to file some papers and get Judge Corbett to enter the final order. I know the next question is “how long?”  As with everything involving the courts, we can unfortunately neither give you a specific time frame or do much to expedite the process.  We will of course file the required documents as soon as possible, and urge Judge Corbett to sign off at his earliest convenience. Please be assured we will tell you the moment things are final, but I would not be surprised if this process took a few months.  Let’s all hope for much sooner.We will, however, be in touch with each of you in the next few weeks to begin the final process, so that very soon after Judge Corbett issues his final order, we can complete the formal adoption process.  Our plan is to have everything in order, like runners at a starting line, so that we can expedite the final process as soon as Judge Corbett signs his order. A few “procedural” notes.  If you have changed your address or other contact information, please write us and tell us so that we can get in touch with you.  And here is how it will work:  once we get the formal legal process done, we will require that every foster owner provide us with proof that their companion dog has been sterilized (spayed or neutered).  That means we need a copy of a medical record or note from your veterinarian confirming the sterilization; those will need to be sent to my office. Upon proof of sterilization, we will proudly and gladly officially adopt the dog out to you. If for any reason you do not want to, cannot, or do not intend to keep the dog or dogs you are fostering, please contact us immediately so we can find other loving homes for them.  But as we promised, if you do want to live out his or her days with him or her, nothing would make ALDF happier. Happy Day!  Happy Dogs!  ALDF loves you. Bruce

10/14/07 This is fantastic news!!!!!!!!!!!!!  While I felt this would never end, I knew it would and I knew in my heart that ALDF would prevail for the animals in Sanford. As Bruce said, this is not only a huge win for these animals, but for animals all over the US. I hope to see 19A incorporated into other states animal laws as a result of this win. Thank you Bruce  we could not have done this without the legal, financial and even the emotional support ALDF has given all of us. Thank you Laureen and Kelli for devoting so much of your time to the welfare of these animals. Without the expert opinions from vets and the legal expertise from ALDF and Bill Reppy we could never have pulled this off. This was a huge team effort by many of us but you guys were definitely the key players. Those first few weeks, when the dogs first started coming out, were hard, really hard. I will personally never forget that experience. I was so tired but so motivated to help these animals and to provide them with the basic care they had been denied for so long. It was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done; especially being that one of my main focuses in animal welfare is to shut down puppy mills. I, for one, was very proud of how many people pulled together to volunteer to help these animals. We rock! Please know I am there if any of you need my help with this type of situation again.
Karen Loveless  (PomRescue.com board member)