COMPASSION: Scotlund Haisley -

Takes You Inside a Puppy Mill Rescue

By Scotlund Haisley

Photos by Kristina Bowman

As we drive down the long dirt road and I roll down the window letting the dusty air waft in, I look to the team riding with me. I can see that they smell it too—the unmistakable stench of death. We sit in silence, preparing for the horrors we are about to encounter. We’re driving toward a 50-year-old puppy mill in middle America. We’re driving toward it, and we’re driving to end it.

We arrive, and local law enforcement descends upon the puppy miller’s property. The search and seizure warrant is served and we can immediately begin rescuing the animals. Their suffering ends today.

The Animal Rescue Corps (ARC) team, made up of staff and volunteers, operates quickly and diligently so we can get the animals out safely as soon as possible. To build our court case, we must assess the entire property before the extraction of animals begins: We set up the evidence table and mark the structures with evidence tags; we inspect the premises and take a preliminary head count; and our vet visually examines the animals for anyone who may be in critical condition. During this time we also send out press releases and alerts to our supporters. Spreading awareness is essential to our mission.

Dogs have been suffering at this puppy mill for more than 50 years, but the case started just a week and a half ago when ARC received a tip that described a horrific scene: the odor of urine and feces so strong it burned the informant’s eyes; dogs crammed six or more at a time into 2’ x 2’ wire cages; dogs covered in their own excrement with overgrown nails and severely matted fur; and an over-whelming cacophony of what
sounded like hundreds of dogs.

As I walk down row after row of cages, I wear my safety mask in an attempt to filter the overpowering odor of ammonia. I meet hundreds of dogs who are malnourished, dehydrated, and suffering from heat exhaustion. Live dogs are trapped in cages with the decaying corpses of dead dogs. I see nothing but misery and hope-lessness in their eyes. On the Internet, the puppy miller advertised dogs in perfect health happily romping in a lush, green yard. In reality, it is anything but.

The assessment complete, the ARC team starts the extraction process. In the first cage, I find a dog whose fur has matted to the cage, growing into knots around its bars. I have to cut her free. When I lift her, I see that she has been trapped in her own excrement. Her feet are raw from standing in urine and on wire for most, if not all, of her life. I pass her to a volunteer who gently embraces the dog’s frail body and carries her to the intake table where the dog is examined and given an ID number and a tag. Photos are taken, and she is placed into a kennel in one of our rescue trucks to be taken to the emergency shelter, where the she will begin her medical and emotional rehabilitation.

Only days earlier, we spoke to the district attorney’s office explaining the tip we had received. We described how Animal Rescue Corps could complete the investigation, work with them to write the search and seizure warrant, bring in the resources to rescue the animals, provide the necessities for a temporary emergency shelter and transport the animals to our rescue and shelter partners for placement. We would do it at no cost to their community. They had only one question for us: How quickly can you get here?

Back on scene, the team has been working tirelessly for hours loading up three truckloads of dogs. It’s nearly 1 A.M. as the last dog is carried away from misery. As I look at the now-vacant puppy mill, it’s hard to believe only hours earlier this property had been overrun by dogs with no hope for salvation. Our final count is more than double what we estimated, and that number will grow as the pregnant dogs give birth to puppies who will now never know the suffering their parents had to endure.

As the team heads toward the temporary shelter, I put on our ARC playlist. I look back at the team as Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” begins to play. Their faces, like mine, are exhausted but there is a sparkle in everyone’s eyes inspired by what we have just accomplished. Today, hundreds of dogs experienced kindness for the first time in their lives. Today, we gave the unborn puppies the opportunity to live, knowing nothing but joy. Today, we put compassion into action. But our work is far from over.

We have many long days ahead: hundreds of animals will be fed, watered and cleaned; veterinary exams and treatments for all the animals will begin; placement with rescue and shelter partners will be finalized and transports will be arranged; and an evidence package will be handed over to authorities. Our goal is not only to help a community and save lives, but also to make a lasting impact—to bring puppy millers and others who profit from animal abuse to justice, and to do our best to ensure not one more animal will suffer at their hands. When this case is wrapped up, we will continue looking into the dozens of tips that fill the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it inbox every day. I would love to run out of work for Animal Rescue Corps but until all animals are free and safe from cruelty we won’t stop. We can’t stop.

Please join us at www.animalrescuecorps.org/join.

Scotlund Haisley promising two puppy mill dogs they will never have to birth another puppy

Scotlund pulls this scared, matted dog out of the darkness and into the light to finally end her suffering

Ady Gil, ARC supporter and volunteer, freeing a puppy mill dog from hell