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17 NEGLECTED DOGS RESCUED!
Shannon Reed of Lucky Chance Rescue received a request for help with 6 poodle mix puppies. The rescue immediately reached out to Meghan Delaney, our “Doodle” expert and asked if she would help recruit fosters and coordinate this rescue. We thought we were going to help a litter of eight week old puppies only to find the need to be so much larger! It was a hoarding situation with 20+ dogs ranging in ages from around 4 months to 2 + years old. All of the dogs were in a state of complete neglect.
The owner did not spay or neuter his dogs; therefore, breeding became the obvious problem. Litter after litter were born and living in extremely poor conditions due to lack of vet care, adequate shelter, quality food and clean water. He also lacked the knowledge and experience needed to manage that many dogs. It’s hard to imagine the magnitude of all the problems caused by allowing the breeding to occur. The owner did not know what breed, genders, ages or who the parents were. He could not keep 20+ dogs contained in a safe environment, therefore, the dogs wandered around town, down busy roads and camped out in neighborhoods over five miles from home.
People in the community were concerned about the wellbeing of the animals, particularly one local woman, Lauren. She went to the owners home to let him know the dogs were roaming and not safe. When she arrived, she saw a cage full of puppies with no water. Seeing the living conditions, she reached out to the sheriff for help. After speaking with the sheriff, the owner agreed to surrender the dogs to an animal rescue. Lauren put out pleas for help and that’s where we came in.
We were originally told there were 8 dogs being surrendered. As the owner started rounding up all the dogs, the number of dogs escalated to 14. We reached out to other rescues to ask for help and we are grateful one stepped up and committed to taking 4 dogs. After hundreds of messages, phone calls, foster applications processed, and supplies ordered; rescue day finally came.
March 26, our volunteers arrived at the property ready to start this huge endeavor. There were dogs free roaming, locked in outdoor pens, some had crawled through a broken window to the basement of the home, and others were in an outdoor barn with no water. There were truly dogs everywhere. As dogs were being put into transport crates, 3 more showed up soaking wet and freezing cold. We didn’t have enough fosters but we would not leave these 3 dogs behind. Of the 20+ dogs the owner had, some could not be found and others he would not surrender. We hope he will surrender the rest eventually or allow us to spay/neuter the ones he kept.
The condition of these dogs was not for the faint of heart. Their fur was caked with feces, urine, and dirt and most were matted to the skin. They were vomiting rocks, corn, dirt and one threw up feathers and the carcass of a dead bird. They smelled atrocious, but one look at their faces we couldn’t help but immediately fall in love with them.
It took 17 fosters, 6 transporters, 4 intake volunteers and 2 amazing coordinators to make this rescue happen. Each dog will cost us over $475 a piece for the basic vet care. This does not include food, toys, treats, grooming, and additional care and medications needed for parasites, infections, skin and eye issues due to the amount of bacteria they had been living in. With many of the dogs over 7 months old, the risk of heartworm disease is high. The cost for treatment is over $800 per dog. We need the community’s help to raise $6,175 for Lucky Chance Rescue to provide immediate vet care for these 13 dogs and continue to save other dogs across Missouri. The shelters are full and the demand for help is at an all time high due to unaltered pets.
We would like to thank our fosters for stepping up at the last minute, without them this rescue would not have been possible and these dogs would still be living a life of neglect.
You can make a huge impact by donating today!