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A Bulldog Rescue Case Study Confiscation of Sick and Injured Dogs from a Puppy Mill The Story of Trudy – and Many Others Almost all of the thousands of rescued and re-homed bulldogs that have been saved by the Bulldog Club of America Rescue Network come to us "one at a time." But when USDA, state, or local authorities raid or "Bust" a Puppy Mill, it’s a different story. This is one such story. September, 2001 – sixty dogs confiscated from a barn in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by local police. They were taken to the local Humane League. Twenty-three of the dogs were bulldogs. A veterinarian on the scene judged that they all needed immediate veterinary care. The region’s Bulldog Club was called and their Rescue Coordinator began one of the most hectic days of her life. Why did this happen? It seems that the owners of the farm were no strangers to animal welfare violations. There were numerous complaints and changes made against them since 1988, including, but not limited to, animal cruelty convictions. A complaint about the deplorable living conditions alleged to be endured by these animals led to the seizure. Witnesses have claimed that dogs were housed two to a rabbit hutch and kept in a closed barn. Most of the cage footing was 2 x 4" wire, causing severe abnormalities of the feet and gait. Several bulldogs were found to have tattoos bearing the initials and social security number of owners. Investigations revealed that many of the bitches had been purchased from newspaper ads – people selling puppies and others getting rid of family pets. It speaks volumes about making sure, if you breed, that your puppies are microchipped, sold on spay/neuter agreements, and followed well after placement. It should also be a wake-up call to people who provide stud service to pet owners and non-BCA members, as well as those "breeders" who use the internet to market their puppies and ship them anywhere. After the raid, the bulldog rescue coordinator was instrumental in locating and working with volunteers to see that these bulldogs were safely fostered. A computer-based listserv was established to keep all informed. Because of good communication, they were able to keep the district attorney and the nation up to date. It was a huge, but productive effort to see that these bitches, a few puppies and one male were placed in the hands of those familiar with the breed. Help came from other bulldog clubs, veterinarians, pet shops and from individuals across the country whose hearts were tugged by the incident. The Bulldog Club of America had a strong stake in seeing these dogs successfully re-homed. Medical conditions needing attention were mange, entropian eyelids, dry eye, ear infections, intestinal parasites, skin loss, hematomas, abscessed bite wounds, urinary tract infections, abscessed c-section incisions, foot injuries, upper respiratory infections and out-of-date immunizations. Restoring the physical health of these bulldogs took hundred of hours, thousands of miles on the road, and thousands of dollars. Rescuers were also left to deal with social and emotional issues as these bullies unloaded their baggage. But no one complained. One of the bulldogs in the raid can serve
as a good example of what kind of rehabilitation these dogs required. Trudy
required double entropian eye surgery and one eye had an ulcerated corona.
Her limp was due to luxating patelas requiring surgery, rest and medication
for life. Behavior training was needed to cure dominance aggression – once
she was calm enough to not be afraid of "the outside world" that
she had never seen before. A couple of relatively easy ones: she needed
worming and house breaking. An ovarian pyometra required surgical removal and
spaying. Her bills exceeded $2000, even with some discounts. The before and
after photos, below, show the success of her one-year rehab program. She now
has a loving family and a life!
What about the puppy mill owners? They were both tried and convicted of multiple charges of animal cruelty. They were fined, given suspended sentences and, with some help from dog registration organizations, will have trouble making a living from mistreating bulldogs in the future. Good police work and legal teamwork by able animal activists were responsible for the courtroom victories. The BCA Rescue Committee accepted the challenge of finding the money to pay all the bills. They used Trudy’s case to publicize their needs to BCA website visitors and to audiences at Bulldog Specialty Shows around the country. Bulldog clubs from Maine to California "passed the hat". Donations began slowly, but they accelerated quickly with several $1000 checks and also $10 checks that were faithfully sent every month for 10 months by one family to pay for the feeding of one of the lucky 23. Within 6 months about $15,000 was collected! There is no doubt about it! America is certainly generous to a good cause! The BCA has learned from this experience. A National Rescue Emergency Fund has been established so that tax-free donations may be collected in advance of the next emergency or disaster. Training materials have been developed to help clubs and individuals become better organized to cope with challenges like 23 bulldogs "dropped on the doorstep" tomorrow! If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to help a future Trudy, please print the Donor Form (in PDF format*) and send it with your donation to the BCA Charitable Fund. To contribute to the Rescue Emergency Fund, please be sure to identify your donation as being for the BCA Rescue Network. *A note about PDF: |
