Sixteen Dogs Rescued From A Puppy Mill in Need of New Homes

ILLINOIS -- Sixteen dogs were rescued from a puppy mill and taken to Fresh Start Animal Rescue in Belvidere on Tuesday. Workers at the rescue center say the dogs are traumatized from months of neglect and abuse.

 

Kathy Mehalko from The Puppy Mill Project says, "All they've ever known from humans is a hand that comes towards them to hurt them. They don't understand that a hand will come to them to show them love and affection."   

Workers say the rescue dogs need a lot of medical care and attention. One dog has fractured teeth after trying to chew her way out of a cage, and another constantly shivers in fear. The dogs have to be treated like newborns.

Kirsten Weger, from Fresh Start Animal Rescue, says, "The mills do not give proof vaccinations because it is back track-able to what specific facility they came from, so we have to start off at square one of boosters and rabies [shots]."

 

The dogs came from a mill out-of-state. Fresh Start does not know the previous whereabouts of the dogs.

Weger says, "The rescue person that has the contact with the mill is sworn to that secrecy for their privacy, and ... we have to respect that, it's getting the animals out and getting them that end care, versus backtracking where they actually came from."

 

  

 

Now they’re looking for kind-hearted Stateliners willing to take on the task of adopting the rescue dogs. If you would like to schedule an appointment to adopt the rescue dogs, call Fresh Start Animal Rescue at (815) 572-2481.

(MyStateLine - Dec 10, 2014)