Seized dogs find refuge in Carthage

The Carthage Humane Society is pleading for help after taking in almost three dozen puppies from an alleged puppy mill in Wright County last week.

Tish Bentlage, director of the Carthage Animal Shelter at the Cedar Road interchange with U.S. Highway 71 south of town, said the Humane Society of Missouri brought 34 of the 71 puppies seized on Friday from a mother and son near Seymour to Carthage after she volunteered to take them in.

“They took 38 to St. Louis, we took the 34,” Bentlage said. “The Humane Society of Missouri has been really helpful in the southwest region. They came and helped after the tornados last year, so we figured it was a nice gesture to help them also. We made the room and accommodated their needs.”

On Monday, Dr. Melanie Grundy and Tianna Fisher, a vet tech, both with Central Pet Care Clinic in Carthage, spent several hours at the shelter evaluating the dogs to determine what they needed to be made adoptable.

“They’ve all been really, really young,” Grundy said. “They’re all a year or so, most less than a year, and they are nice dogs too. All have been really good. Most of them have not been well cared for. They are skinny and very dirty.”

Bentlage said the group includes three mothers with 10 puppies that were still nursing.

“There are shih tzus, American Eskimos, labradoodles, poodles, just a variety of little critters, small dogs here,” Bentlage said. “Some of these dogs have problems with their eyes and skin and some have ear problems. They were fed nothing but a diet of bones and rendered meat. This is not a reflection of normal breeders. Good and licensed breeders treat their animals differently from unlicensed breeders.”

Unlicensed breeding

According to the Department of Agriculture, the dogs were living in an unlicensed breeding kennel near Seymour in Webster County.

“The breeder was never issued a state license with the Department of Agriculture,” the department said in a written release. “Since January 2009, the Department of Agriculture has taken increased enforcement actions on substandard facilities in Missouri, resulting in over 1700 dogs rescued as a part of Operation Bark Alert – a crackdown on unlicensed breeders in the state.”

According to the department, the investigation began last week when the Webster County Sheriff’s Department contacted the Department of Agriculture regarding an unlicensed breeding facility where the health and welfare of animals could be at risk.

Officials got a warrant to search the property, but the owners of the animals were alerted and they moved the dogs overnight from Seymour to a location near Mansfield.

Friday, through a warrant, the dogs were removed from the Wright County property and transferred to Missouri humane shelters for treatment and care.

“Unlicensed breeders in the state put reputable licensed breeding professionals at a competitive disadvantage and the health and safety of the animals at risk,” said Dr. Jon Hagler, director of the Department of Agriculture.  “The Department of Agriculture will continue to crack down on those who willfully violate the law.  In the weeks ahead, unlicensed breeders in this state will face increasing pressure as we add more bite to Operation Bark Alert.  One way or another, they are going to get the message that substandard, unlicensed facilities are not welcome in Missouri.”

Seeking assistance

Ron Hellstrom, Venice, Fla., was in Carthage visiting his daughter and he said he makes it a habit to visit the Carthage shelter whenever he’s in town. On Monday, he was so moved by the dogs and cats he saw that he gave Bentlage a check for $100 on the spot.

“I saw all those dogs that just want a little loving, it’s so sad,” Hellstrom said. “I wanted to pay for a couple of them to get their shots and get fixed so that they could tell a potential adopter that they can have them for cheap.”

Bentlage said she was able to make room for the seized dogs because they were all fairly small, but the Carthage shelter is full of these and other dogs as well as a flood of cats.

“We are just full of cats,” she said. “A lot have been turned in and surrendered because of the economic downturn, people just can’t afford to care for them. We just had three cats that were surrendered after 11 years with their families because the families just couldn’t afford to take care of them.”

Bentlage said the shelter could really use donations of cat food, cat litter and puppy food.

“It breaks my heart, I just want to adopt them all,” Hellstrom said. “The community needs to come out here and see these animals. They’ll want to help too.”

• In addition to the 71 dogs, the Humane Society of Missouri also took custody of a rabbit. Carthage Humane Society Director Tish Bentlage said a surrender hearing would be held in the county where the dogs were seized and the dogs could be available for adoption in the next 30 days.