Puppy mills are commercial dog breeding facilities designed to maximize profits. There are thousands of mills in the US alone. Sadly, the animals that have to live in these sickly establishments rarely receive the loving care they need and deserve. But when one assumes ownership of an animal, they’re also taking responsibility for a life. However, these facilities offer nothing more than inhumane treatment, and any hope of a happy life quickly diminishes. But when the dogs at a Cander County, Georgia puppy mill saw an opportunity, they decided to beg for their freedom before it was too late. And their story is heartbreaking.These pooches were locked up and forced live in filthy dog pens, and they had one purpose. They were there to breed and have more puppies so that the human owner could sell these offspring for profit. And it was worse than it sounded.
But all hope wasn’t lost. Local residents discovered the presence of the puppy mill in the neighborhood. It was run illegally by Belinda Powell. So, it was only a matter of time before they brought the authorities in to investigate.
It turns out that Powell had another puppy mill in Montgomery County, Georgia, which had over 100 German Shepherds. Powell was eventually arrested. Then authorities started looking for ways to give these dogs a new life.
Jessica Rock, the Atlanta Humane Society’s director of legal advocacy and law enforcement support, visited the mill in Candler County. And it became clear to her that Powell had no regards for the well-being of these animals.
She could see the pain in each of the dogs’ faces and their living conditions were deplorable, to say the least. Rock claimed that the dogs began to howl simultaneously the moment the rescuers arrived at the scene.
Some dogs appeared to have been well fed while others were virtually emaciated. But when you put so many dogs in one pen, stronger dogs will become bullies and take the food of the weaker pooches, leaving their brethren with little or no sustenance.
Rock and rescue teams from other organizations managed to remove all the dogs and get them the medical attention they needed. Then, they placed them in foster homes and shelters. It was a lot of hard work, but it paid off, and some dogs already found homes with amazing forever families.
Everyone pulled together for the sole purpose of saving these dogs, and it worked. Now in lieu of sadness, the dogs were practically smiling. This just goes to show you that dogs are extremely resilient and can bounce back from even the worst-case scenarios.
